


Gabriel Knows Too Much

by Ryxl



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Asexual Gabriel, Asexual Jack, Background Relationships, Gabriel has no patience for anyone's shit, Gabriel reconsiders his life choices, M/M, Minor Violence, Mythical Beings & Creatures, New Game Plus, Reaper sickness, brief appearances from other characters, cursing, griffin cuddles, spoilers for OITBWW, who let me write this?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-07
Updated: 2017-11-12
Packaged: 2019-01-30 17:55:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 54,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12658527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ryxl/pseuds/Ryxl
Summary: Gabriel Reyes wakes up on the side of a dirt path with no recollection of how he got there in the first place. Wait, didn't this happen already?Something foul is afoot, and weirdly, he already knows what. What he doesn't know is why he has to go through it again. For the first time? Whatever.(This is a non-canon New Game Plus version of LegendaryBard's Out In The Big Wide Woods wherein Gabriel wakes up at the beginning of the fic with all the memories of having lived through the fic. Author permission, approval, and blessing has been obtained. I literally spoil the end of OITBWW in the first paragraph so if you haven't read OITBWW, not only are you going to be lost but you're going to have...pretty much everything spoiled.)





	1. It's Gotta Start Somewhere (But Why Here?)

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Out In The Big Wide Woods](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8312551) by [LegendaryBard](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LegendaryBard/pseuds/LegendaryBard). 



* * *

Chapter 1

* * *

 

Gabriel Reyes woke up gradually to warm sunshine on his face. That wouldn't have bothered him, but he was lying somewhere distinctly uncomfortable. Had he passed out after getting the Reaper back? But why would there be...sun...  
  
It occurred to him, as he woke up a little more, that this felt...familiar. He'd woken up like this once before and found himself on a cliff, and that's when his life had turned _completely_ upside down.  
  
Or had it?  
  
On the one hand, he remembered killing himself, getting brought back to life and then killing Liao. _Oh god, he'd killed Liao_. But on the other hand, he remembered walking back to his apartment, accidentally scaring some white girl - Angela? - and then crashing on the couch. The memories of being the Reaper's host seemed...more like a really long, intricate dream.  
  
Wincing, Gabriel sat up and opened his eyes. A thin dirt path, a single shitty tree, the cliff.  
  
Mother _fucker_.  
  
As he scrambled away from that cliff, he contemplated his options. One, go up the path and see if Ana's house was at the top, confirm or deny his freaky dream. Two, go _down_ the path and...probably get picked up by Mei and get his memories erased, go back to his shitty apartment and hope Angela didn't abduct him again. Three, sit right here and wait for Angela to find him. All assuming his dream wasn't just a really, really vivid hallucination or something.  
  
Slowly, he started walking up the path, trying to remember everything he could so that - once he'd confirmed that his inexplicable knowledge was correct - he could maybe _avoid_ a few of the less-pleasant things. Like being bitten by Genji. And maybe getting 'rescued' from Mei's holding cell. But if he did that, if he avoided the fight in the Burger King, would he still have his Sight trigger?  
  
He tried opening it, like Roadhog had (maybe) taught him.  
  
Nothing.  
  
Well, he'd only been around Liao. And maybe Angela. And whoever stuck him on the cliff, had he ever figured that out? So maybe he needed to be around more supernatural creatures before his Sight would kick in. Again. For the first time.  
  
Fuck, this was confusing.

 

* * *

  
  
The trail, as it got close to the top, was just as steep as Gabriel maybe-remembered it being. The top was just as surreal as his weird memories had suggested, a grassy plateau with a two-story house. He didn't bother pulling the knife out of his boot as he walked up to the front door with its brass knocker. Fuck, his memories had been right so far, he was probably getting lulled into a false sense of security but-  
  
Gabriel slammed the knocker against the wood of the door three times and waited. When Ana opened the door, looking just as he remembered her, he couldn't help but smile in relief.  
  
"How did you get here?" she demanded politely.  
  
He still didn't have a good answer for that.  
  
"Walked," he said, shrugging. "Woke up probably about halfway down the trail, no idea how I got there."  
  
"You must remember _something_ ," she urged, eyeing him critically.  
  
"I think I remember seeing a girl...? I had some, uh, _really_ vivid dreams."  
  
Ana frowned. The whispers he almost hadn't registered got fractionally louder.  
  
"Why don't I LET YOU INSIDE," she said, shouting the last four words over her shoulder without moving out of the doorway. Behind her, scuffling sounds and light footsteps.  
  
Probably Genji and Hanzo going upstairs. Oh god, he was about to get his crotch slobbered on by Jesse. Sure enough, the biggest goddamn dog Gabriel had ever seen somehow managed to nuzzle past Ana's legs and onto the porch. Although he was fairly sure that, being a werewolf, this form wasn't actually a dog. Gabriel already had his hands in motion to protect the family jewels, and Ana was reaching for his collar, but the damn furry mutt still managed to lick the back of one hand before she tapped him on the nose and he slunk back inside the house.  
  
"That's Jesse," Ana said apologetically. "He's a gentle soul, but he thinks he's a lot smaller than he actually is."  
  
He was also a werewolf, but Gabriel decided not to say anything about that. "No harm done," he said instead. "Gabriel Reyes," he added, his un-slobbered hand going to his chest.  
  
"Ana Amari," she replied, nodding politely at him. "Why don't you come in, Mr. Reyes. I'll put on some tea."  
  
Gabriel followed Ana into the house, looking around both because that's what a visitor would do and because he wanted to see if his weird-ass memories were still accurate.  
  
They were. He even saw the hole in the ceiling that Jamison would use to get around the door.  
  
"Jesse, you keep seated or I get a new fur coat," Ana threatened idly as she strode through the living room. The not-a-dog laid his head back down and whined. "Would you like something to eat with your tea, Mr. Reyes?"  
  
"I think I missed breakfast," he joked, "so that would be lovely, thank you."  
  
She gave him a surprisingly piercing look. "You seem remarkably calm for someone who woke up in an unfamiliar place, Mr. Reyes. Aren't you concerned with getting home?"  
  
Did he? Fuck. He couldn't exactly explain that he's been through this before, or at least, he knows what's going to happen. Gabriel gave her what was hopefully a winning smile.  
  
"I get the feeling that I'm not going to get home anytime soon, whether I want to or not," he said instead. "I've watched enough made-for-TV movies to know that much."  
  
That got him a soft smile. "Well, regardless, we're about thirty miles from the nearest person I know of. I'll do what I can to help, but it's going to take a few days. My daughter, Fareeha, can surely guide you back to civilization when she arrives. I'll go see about your tea; you have a seat on the couch, and I'll be right back. If Jesse misbehaves, just smack him on the nose."  
  
As soon as she'd left the room, Jesse's tail started wagging.  
  
"Don't even think it," Gabriel warned him before settling onto the couch. Yup, his butt absolutely remembered this couch.  
  
A few days. Shit, he was gonna get drugged and abducted by Angela...not tonight, maybe the next night? But he met Jack that way, so he had to stick around and play dumb until then. Now, once he got sort-of-rescued from his abduction...that's when he'd start making some changes. It would give him time to see if he could nudge his Sight into triggering, anyway.  
  
"How do you take your tea?" Ana asked as she came back in with the tea tray.  
  
He was pretty sure it had tasted nasty. "Uh...I'm not much of a tea drinker," he hedged. "I'll trust your judgment."  
  
Ana laughed and added three spoonfuls of sugar to the cup, then a generous dollop of cream. It still wasn't anything he'd drink for fun, but it wasn't torture to swallow.  
  
"I want to ask you a couple questions," Ana said crisply. "Is that alright?"  
  
"If you think it'll help," he answered, unable to keep the doubt out of his voice.  
  
"I want to get a sense of...you," she replied. "You're not the first man who's come here, disoriented and confused."  
  
Gabriel nodded. She asked him the questions he vaguely remembered: did he remember anything from last night, what was his line of work, did he have vivid dreams. Was it cheating to mention remembering the white girl if he only _remembered_ remembering her? Shit - Ana knew Angela. He kept his description vague enough that hopefully she wouldn't make the connection. Dreams. Fuck. Fuck. Uh...the unnatural blackness and owl face trying to get him. That was safe enough, right?  
  
"You're the first police officer we've been brought," Ana said thoughtfully once he was done. She sipped her tea. "I think something is bringing you on purpose, but I haven't figured out what."  
  
When he glanced at Jesse, his future-memories were right again - the damn walking rug looked _guilty_. He'd have to try to remember to ask what the mutt had smelled on him.  
  
"Anyway," Ana continued, "a few rules, since you'll be staying here a couple of days. _Don't_ go upstairs. It's off-limits, understand? There are...personal things up there."  
  
A little _too_ personal, if you asked Gabriel, but he nodded. "Gotcha."  
  
"Alright. Second thing: don't go outside without me or Jesse with you. It can be dangerous out there."  
  
The only real danger he was in was being abducted by a harpy, but be nodded again anyway.  
  
"Third and final thing: you're sleeping on the couch. I don't have any other beds."  
  
"It won't be the worst place I've crashed," he said with a slight shrug. "Don't worry about it. You want me to do chores or something, just ask. Uh, thanks for letting me stay here." _I'll try to not go days and weeks without letting you know I'm not dead_.  
  
Ana looked pleased and a little flustered. "It's no problem. We get so few visitors...anyway, drink your tea. I have to check up on something upstairs, but I'll be right back."  
  
_Probably reminding Genji that I'm not a snack,_ Gabriel thought. He sipped his tea to hide his smirk, but was pretty sure Jesse saw it anyway.

 

* * *

Chapter 2

* * *

 

The evening was just as forgettable as Gabriel remembered it being, and he fell asleep easily on the couch - on his back, because nothing was going to shake that habit until he had Jack's bulk to protect him. When he found himself back in his apartment, he played along and manifested himself some nice, expensive whiskey to dream-drink. He said nothing but "wipe your feet" as Ana walked in and started poking around, wondering if him being able to detect her in his dreams was a side effect of his impending Sight.  
  
When she asked where he kept important things, he directed her to the bedroom before remembering unnatural darkness. Sure enough, the room was inky black.  
  
"Something's wrong," he said, cop instincts flaring in alarm as he sat up.  
  
Ana shot him a withering look. "I can handle it, Mr. Reyes. Just go to sleep."  
  
"No..." he stood and drew his service weapon, thumbing the safety off.  
  
Something he identified vaguely as 'Reaper sickness' washed over him and he fell to his knees, one hand over his mouth, hoping frantically that he couldn't actually throw up in a dream while Ana looked alarmed. When he looked up at his bedroom doorway, the unnatural jet-black body that seemed to be part of the shadows filling the room was looking back at him with its bird-skull face. It tilted its head at him-  
  
Gabriel woke up with a start, breathing heavily, pulse racing. He was still on Ana Amari's soft, welcoming couch. Moonlight filtered in through the faded curtains, and...  
  
Oh. This was going to be Midnight Talk With Naked Jesse, wasn't it?  
  
He slowly opened one eye. Yup. That sure was the hairiest motherfucker he'd ever seen. Gabriel sighed, too exhausted from - what, fighting the call of the Reaper? - too exhausted to be alarmed at something he'd known was coming anyway.  
  
"Hi, Jesse," he sighed.  
  
The hairy man pouted. "How'd you know it was me?"  
  
Gabriel waved one arm vaguely. "Fur. Hair. Same color." It wasn't a very good answer, but he didn't remember Jesse being all that bright. "Also, you're wearing a dog collar."  
  
"Oh. That makes sense."  
  
Bingo.  
  
"You're not scared of me?" Jesse asked hopefully.  
  
"Nope. Too tired."  
  
"Ana says that people don't like people like us anymore," the werewolf said, pouting again. "She thought it would be better if you didn't see us."  
  
People like us. Everyone upstairs. Oh, right...  
  
Gabriel sat up slowly. "Say, I bet you have a really good nose."  
  
The dog-man perked up. "Uh-huh!"  
  
"Did you smell who left me on the cliff?"  
  
"I need to smell you more for that," he answered apologetically.  
  
Oh well. So much for that.  
  
"Come outside with me," Jesse said suddenly. "I'll turn back into a dog and sniff you!"  
  
A memory floated up: Mondatta, facing a window, telling Gabriel that if he became the Reaper without meeting Ana and everyone (and Jack, especially Jack) then he died horribly. Then he remembered the case. Fuck. Okay, needed to keep the djinn out of things to avoid accusations of favoritism. He was going to have enough trouble with Liao.  
  
"Too tired for that," Gabriel muttered, flopping back down and covering his eyes with one arm.  
  
For a second, he spared his younger - other? alternate? - self some sympathy. Yeah, the moment when your worldview shattered and you realized werewolves were real was mind-blowing, but a few months being the Reaper and falling in love with a griffin kinda dwarfed that.  
  
Then a tiny weight settled on his chest and he remembered who _else_ he was going to have to deal with.  
  
"Oi! Wake up, you cunt! I've been waitin' an entire day to talk to your human ass, and you can't even be fucked to speak to me?"  
  
Gabriel groaned, remembering a tiny foot impacting against his derriere. "Look, I'm fucking exhausted. I'll spit in a tube for you or whatever tomorrow if you just let me sleep tonight."  
  
A pause.  
  
"Y-you will?"  
  
"Promise," Gabriel said, not moving the arm over his eyes.  
  
"That's mighty big of you, mate!" the pixie chirped in pleasant surprise. "Alright. I'll see you in the morning."  
  
Gabriel gave it a count of five before saying, "No, Jesse, you can't sleep with me. Even as a dog."  
  
He could almost _feel_ the sullen look he was getting for that, but as long as he woke up without a giant furball on him, he was okay with that.

 

* * *

Chapter 3

* * *

 

Gabriel woke up thankfully sans mutt in his personal space. The not-dog was, in fact, sleeping on the rug and Gabriel wondered when he'd changed back. Or changed into a person to begin with, since he was pretty sure he remembered something about Ana making him change outside because he breaks things.  
  
As if his thought had summoned her, Ana shuffled into the room holding a steaming mug and looking not-really-awake despite that. Her lavender robe, flannel pajamas, and slippers all looked super comfortable compared to the clothes Gabriel had slept in.  
  
"Good morning, Mr. Reyes. How did you sleep last night?"  
  
Gabriel sat up and stretched. "Ugh. Do you mean the first half of the night, where I had a dream you were in my apartment that turned into a nightmare about the darkness in my bedroom having a face? Or the part after that where Jesse introduced himself wearing nothing but his collar and Australian Tinkerbell thought it was a good time to get chatty? Because after that," he said, trying not to feel gleeful at the guilty look on Ana's face, "I slept great."  
  
"And how do you feel about this?" she asked as she sat in a worn armchair.  
  
He thought about it. Yeah, he wasn't freaking out and wanting to go home. He didn't need the talk about her magic or her daughter's magic or the fact that supernatural creatures existed out in the world. But...  
  
"I'd like to be properly introduced to everyone," he said mildly. His stomach growled. "Breakfast would be nice, too."  
  
Ana smiled. "Fair enough. I'll be back in ten minutes with breakfast. Feel free to explore the house, so long as you don't go upstairs."  
  
"I have absolutely no intention of going upstairs," Gabriel assured her emphatically.  
  
"Good. Oh, and Jamison is a pixie, not a fairy. He gets rather upset if you mis-label him"  
  
"Pixie. Got it."  
  
Once Ana had left for the kitchen, Gabriel headed to where he thought he remembered Jamison's room being. It was just as his memories promised it would be, and he took a minute to stare anew at all the weird assorted things in the room before calling the pixie's name softly.  
  
The pixie fluttered in from a hole in the ceiling.  
  
"Hey," Gabriel said, greeting him with a two-fingered wave.  
  
"This is my room," Jamison declared. "Ana uses it sometimes, I guess. But it's my room!"  
  
"Am I allowed in?" Gabriel asked diplomatically. "I'll go if you want me to, but I came to introduce myself. I'm Gabriel Reyes."  
  
The pixie flew almost into his face, scrutinizing him, then fluttered down to tug him off to the corner with what Gabriel assumed was the pixie's bed. "Jamison. Sit down, asshole, you're too tall."  
  
Gabriel sat. He watched as Jamison pulled out the test tube and added various ingredients.  
  
"Spit in it," the pixie commanded finally. "You promised you would, remember?"  
  
"I remember," Gabriel said soothingly.  
  
Once he'd spit and Jamison had mixed it up and stoppered it, there was a knock on the door.  
  
"Mr. Reyes, are you in there?" Ana called.  
  
Jamison's eyes widened. "Oh, fuck." He grabbed the vial and beat it for the hole in the ceiling.  
  
"Uh, Yeah." Gabriel called back.  
  
"Breakfast's ready. Be careful with the things in there, and don't touch Jamison's bedding. He gets upset very easily."  
  
"I haven't touched anything, don't worry." Gabriel stood carefully and headed for the door.  
  
Ana was nowhere to be seen.  
  
"In the living room, Mr. Reyes."  
  
Ah, right. Gabriel made his way back to the living room and heartily devoured the breakfast he remembered being just as good as it was. He just barely remembered Ana was there.  
  
"I get the feeling you haven't been eating well for quite some time," she said delicately.  
  
There was nothing he could say in his defense there. "I guess not."  
  
"Mr. Reyes, have you considered..." she trailed off, clearly picking her words. "Have you considered staying here?"  
  
"What? No, I-" _I'm going to become the Reaper_. "I get the feeling that I was brought here for a reason," he said slowly, "but I doubt that reason was to stay here."  
  
Ana looked at him for a long minute.  
  
"I suspect you are correct," she said heavily. "Still, for whatever it's worth, you will always be welcome in this house."  
  
_Always?_ he thought, remembering a vision involving eyes in jars and teeth on a plaque.  
  
"So long as you enter as a friend," Ana added. He didn't _think_ she'd heard his thoughts. "Let me clear the dishes, and then we will see about introducing you to the others."

 

* * *

Chapter 4

* * *

 

Almost as soon as Ana was out of the room, Genji came bounding down the stairs all friendly-like.  
  
"You're the guy!" he declared, smiling broadly. "The human! I'm Genji Shimada."  
  
Gabriel's boot knife was in his hand so fast it may as well have materialized, and he waved it threateningly at Genji. "You stay the hell away from me," he growled.  
  
Genji's bright smile faltered. "That's not very friendly."  
  
"I'll say this _once_ , Genji. If you _ever_ drink my blood without explicit permission, I'm going to rip your fucking fangs out and shove them up your ass!"  
  
Wide-eyed, the vampire backed up two steps and then fled up the stairs. Gabriel relaxed, but he didn't put the knife away. Jesse gave him a questioning look. He ignored it. Hanzo was gliding gracefully down the stairs, a thoughtful frown on his face.  
  
"I am Hanzo," he said evenly when he reached the bottom. "My brother Genji claims you threatened him with a knife."  
  
"That would be because I did. I also told him that if he ever drank my blood without explicit permission, I'd rip his fangs out and shove them up his ass."  
  
Hanzo frowned. "Genji has abstained from human blood for several years."  
  
"He doesn't have your control," Gabriel ground out. "I've seen enough vampire movies to know what will happen the first time I get so much as a scratch around him, so I'm just making sure there's no misunderstandings. Gabriel Reyes," he added belatedly as he tucked the knife away and sat back down on the couch.  
  
"As much as I would like to defend my brother," Hanzo said, seating himself gracefully in one of the armchairs, "I am afraid you are quite correct. You are the first whole-blooded human we have encountered in nearly a decade, and we were nearly _rabid_ last night with your scent in our nostrils."  
  
Jesse padded over to put his head in the vampire's lap, and Hanzo absently began to pet him.  
  
"Tell me, Reyes-san, what walk of life have you taken?"  
  
Gabriel frowned. "What do you mean by that?"  
  
"Job. What menial labor have you decided to undertake with your limited lifespan?"  
  
Oh, right. "I'm a police officer."  
  
Hanzo thought about that for a moment before nodding. "Admirable, I suppose. Risking your life for others is a noble job, although others might disagree. What would you say to those others?"  
  
"Tough titties," Gabriel answered dryly.  
  
The slightest hint of an amused snort escaped Hanzo. "I applaud that sentiment."  
  
The sound of light footsteps from down the hallway made Gabriel wince. He'd hoped his little threat display would have warned Genji off, but of course he couldn't be that lucky. Little shit didn't know how to take a fucking hint, if his future-memories were to be trusted, and so far they'd proven pretty damn trustworthy. Sure enough, the cheeky little fuck sauntered in like nothing was wrong.  
  
"You found the human!" he announced brightly, smiling at his older brother. "Do we get to-"  
  
"You're not feeding from him and you're not sleeping with him," Hanzo interrupted. "He's a _guest_ , Genji. _Behave yourself._ "  
  
The knife practically materialized in Gabriel's hand again as Genji looked his way.  
  
"But _niiiiii-saaaaaan,_ I haven't had anybody in _ages_. Besides, it'll _rock his world_. Wouldn't you like that?" he asked Gabriel, fang-tips making tiny divots in his lower lip as he smiled.  
  
"I'm asexual, asshole," Gabriel snarled. He hadn't wanted to open that can of worms, but phantom memories of Jack's acceptance sang sweetly to him. Better to head that off at the pass, right?  
  
Genji looked personally offended. Gabriel didn't give a shit, especially not when he remembered the vampire making loud... _comments_...about personal things in the Shambali monastery.  
  
"You see?" Hanzo said coldly. "He has made himself _quite_ clear. He is _not_ interested and if you force him to act upon his threat, I will hold you down myself. You are nearing your first century. It is _past_ time you learned some control!"  
  
When sulky looks got him nothing else, Genji stomped childishly up the stairs. Gabriel didn't relax until he heard a door slam.  
  
"I do not apologize for my brother," Hanzo sighed. "He is quite old enough to make his own apologies. Nevertheless, I am sorry you had to endure his bad behavior."  
  
"You're not turning the vampire charm on in my direction," Gabriel retorted, putting the knife away again. "That's more than good enough, thank you."  
  
Hanzo shifted in his chair. "Reyes-san...if I may say so, you are dealing with this situation _exceptionally_ well. Have you encountered vampires before?"  
  
How the fuck was he supposed to answer that?  
  
"I've had some exposure to supernatural creatures and...transhumans," he said warily. "But I'd rather not talk about it."  
  
"Fair enough." The vampire inclined his head in Gabriel's direction, still absently petting Jesse. "What _would_ you prefer to talk about?"  
  
Actually, he would prefer not to talk at all. Gabriel's gaze dropped to the werewolf, then went back up to Hanzo. "Does he play fetch?"

 

* * *

  
  
Spending an hour, maybe two, just sitting on the porch with Hanzo, throwing a stick and watching Jesse fetch it, was...remarkably calming. Gabriel hadn't _thought_ he was nearly as frazzled as he would have been without having phantom-lived through this already, but it was still apparently pretty stressful. At least he wasn't freaking out in Jamison's room and being rude to Ana. He wondered who or what had given him this knowledge. Ashton, the god who had hosted the case meeting? Mondatta or one of the other djinn? The Iris herself?  
  
Suddenly, the world opened up into the confusing welter of overlapping sensory messages he would have been completely unprepared for if it had happened in a Burger King. Fiery and blue right next to him was Hanzo, bloody and composed but still taut as a bowstring. Behind him, sterile thread and cold needles, the whirl of feathers and the scent of an old book.  
  
Angela.  
  
Also, his Sight had kicked in. Gabriel could have hugged it. Instead, he stretched his mind in the way that felt so familiar but was brand new at the same time, and gently closed his newborn gift.  
  
"Gabriel," Ana said from the front door, "Would you like to meet Angela?"  
  
Well, at least this would be as awkward for her as it was for him. "Sure." He threw the stick one last time and stood to face the harpy.  
  
Yeah. That sure was Angela, and that was absolutely the white girl who'd run away with a weird limp - haha, bird legs, of course - when he'd confirmed his identity the night before he woke up on a cliff.  
  
He wondered if she'd come to his apartment to abduct him, only to find that someone had beat her to it.  
  
"Hi," he said awkwardly. Fuck, his future-memories were useless here, all he'd done was ask her if he knew her and then went comatose while he flashed back to that night.  
  
"Hi," she said, just as awkwardly. "You are Gabriel?"  
  
"Last I checked," he snarked reflexively.  
  
The silence stretched uncomfortably. Gabriel realized that Hanzo was radiating hostility beside him, and Ana was radiating grandmotherly disapproval. It was like getting caught between a dueling protagonist and antagonist in some anime; he could almost see their auras flare around them. The knowledge that Angela would abduct him tonight burned unspoken between him and the harpy; they both knew she planned to do it, but she didn't know he was aware of that fact.  
  
"It was nice meeting you," Angela said finally before fleeing back into the house.  
  
Didn't Hanzo have some kind of anti-harpy prejudice? Gabriel thought he remembered a heated argument between Ana and the vampire. Considering he was going to need Angela fairly soon, he'd rather not get that bad blood flowing if he could help it.  
  
"So, Ana," Gabriel said, deliberately ignoring the glares. "Is there anything I can do to help prepare lunch?"

 

* * *

Chapter 5

* * *

 

Under Ana's supervision, and with the aid of future-memories, Gabriel picked tomatoes and dates and a whole basket of strawberries. It was more relaxing than he thought it would be: just  
him and the plants and Ana nearby doing her own thing. They would be making jam after lunch, Ana said just as he remembered it. He also remembered her half-giant husband nearly hugging the life out of him. When they got back into the kitchen and the booming knock came from the front door, he opened it and managed to duck the first hug.  
  
The second hug still got him, and Reinhardt carried him and the deer carcass into the kitchen bellowing happily about his wife having hidden a human. Ana got the half-giant to let go, Gabriel was shaken but unharmed, and he fled to the living room to wait while lunch was prepared. Bored, he started to pick at a half-healed scab but suddenly remembered that it would bleed, and snatched his hand back as if burned. He did _not_ want to attract the vampire's attention, not when he had only a combat knife to defend himself with.  
  
Gabriel found himself _missing_ being the Reaper's host, even though he'd never been, and the bizarreness of looking forward to hosting an ancient entity of blood and death inside his body distracted him until Ana brought out a plate of food for him and a cup of tea. Thankfully, the conversation about bleeding for Genji - _like he'd ever let that brat taste his blood, knowing how carried away he'd get?_ \- didn't happen and Gabriel was allowed to eat his lunch in peace. The venison still tasted weird, but not a bad weird. He ate it first, then the vegetables in their seasoned, buttery sauce, and then the thick slice of seed-and-nut bread that was every bit as strangely good as his future-memories promised.  
  
After lunch, he let himself be recruited as a kitchen helper for jam-making while Reinhardt told the story of a cursed princess finding true love with an ogre...  
  
Wait. That was the plot of _Shrek_.  
  
Internally, Gabriel shrugged. The half-giant told it well enough.  
  
After lunch came explaining what a cop was to Reinhardt, and finally giving up and couching it in terms of knighthood. He supposed the code of chivalry was close enough to the code of conduct. Dinner was more of the same, with the vampires feeding separately from the deer's blood. Jesse stayed in dog form, eating happily and noisily out of a bowl on the floor. Reinhardt invited him outside to watch the sunset and, remembering that he would be abducted before dawn, Gabriel figured why the fuck not.  
  
It _was_ a gorgeous sunset.  
  
"So," Reinhardt rumbled in a surprisingly quiet voice, "you have been snatched out of your mortal life and set unknowingly on the path of some adventure or quest."  
  
Gabriel snorted. "Something like that. And if I know the way these things go, this is just my first stop and I'll be moving on soon."  
  
"Ah, that is very likely. You are remarkably settled for having been so rudely introduced to our world."  
  
"Only on the outside," Gabriel assured him. "Inside, I'm doing a lot of screaming."  
  
Reinhardt laughed.  
  
Once the sun had set, Gabriel stretched out on the couch and waited for sleep, and abduction.  
  
He didn't remember the dream until he was already in it.  
  
Liao, chewing his ass out for beating the shit out of a scumbag who deserved worse. Gabriel stalked off, both because he remembered doing that and because he knew it was a dream. He didn't want to get into the can of worms that was Liao, not yet. Ana fell into step beside him.  
  
"What did you do?" she asked in curious horror.  
  
He wondered if she was regretting welcoming him into her house. "I kicked the shit out of someone who deserved it, then stormed off. Liao was pissed at me for weeks." He kept the words neutral through force of will.  
  
"Could you tell me about-"  
  
"He was a serial rapist. Deserved everything he got." Despite his efforts, the words came out as a snarl. "If Liao hadn't pulled me away, I would have ripped his fucking balls off with my goddamn teeth."  
  
Ana didn't seem upset about that, at least. Maybe a little concerned or disapproving. "You're rather vicious, Mr. Reyes."  
  
He thought about reassuring her that he wouldn't follow that dark path that led to eyes in jars. He thought about holding the naiad's soul in his hand, and shoving it back into her lifeless body.  
  
"Only to people who deserve it," he said darkly.  
  
"How long have you been like this-"  
  
"Listen," he hissed suddenly, turning to face her. Any second now, he was going to get abducted. "I'm going to be fine. Don't let Hanzo and Jesse go off after me. I'll try to keep in touch-"  
  
And then everything went hazy, heavy, like his muscles were filled with lead and dizzily he thought, _Finally!_  
  
He woke up.  
  
Angela was looming over him, a cloth pressed against his nose and mouth. He looked her dead in the eyes and inhaled, then let his eyelids slip shut. Moments later, she removed the drugged cloth and hauled him over her shoulder. He wasn't nearly as dizzy as he'd been the first time- uh, as he would have been? Fuck, that was still confusing. Whatever, he wasn't as dizzy, and he focused on keeping his body limp as she carried him outside and laid him on the ground.  
  
This part was going to _suck_.  
  
Angela gripped him firmly in her bird feet and started flapping. Resolutely, he kept his eyes shut as he felt himself lift off and then he was just - hanging.  
  
Actually, it wasn't so bad when he couldn't see.  
  
The wind whistled past him as he bobbed up and down with the harpy's wingbeats, and he _knew_ she wouldn't drop him, knew he would be safe until Jack intercepted her. God, he hoped Jack would intercept her. He didn't think he could deal with this if he didn't have the griffin's solid, reassuring presence to anchor him.  
  
_Hurry up, White Bread. Don't leave me hanging._  
  
His lips twitched briefly at the pun, but his stomach still churned.

 

* * *

Chapter 6

* * *

 

Gabriel remembered that this would take a while, and also that it was fucking _freezing_ being carried through the mountains, in December, at night. He stuck his hands in the pocket of his hoodie and settled in to wait. He hadn't gotten as much of whatever drug it was this time, but it was still making him sleepy. This time, he didn't fight it. He tried to relax and let himself drift and not worry about if his not-yet-boyfriend would still come to rescue him.  
  
WHAM!  
  
The mid-air collision jerked Gabriel awake, eyes flying open and adrenaline sending his pulse pounding as Angela screamed and they dropped several feet.  
  
Jack. It was Jack, it had to be. Gabriel's heart leaped into his throat. Another impact, Angela releasing one shoulder to kick out with the other, and he heard Jack cry out as the blow landed.  
  
_Come on, Jack. Don't let her keep me._  
  
Angela grabbed his other shoulder again and booked it, but the griffin was faster. He roared, and while half of Gabriel was still viscerally terrified, the other half was elated. Fuck, he thought as paws closed around his leg, they were gonna play tug-of-war with him. He twisted frantically, but not to kick out at the owner of those paws. Instead, he grabbed his knife and slashed upwards, at Angela's legs.  
  
The harpy let go with a screech, and giant lion teeth closed on the back of his hoodie as he dropped, Jack dropped, and they both went diving towards the trees at a speed that made any terrified scream Gabriel might have been inclined to voice decide _fuck that, I'm staying in here_. Above them, Angela screamed in outrage and alarm. Gabriel was sure she'd chase them, and sure enough, she swooped in beside them to rip at the griffin's feathers.  
  
"Don't drop me!"  
  
The words burst out of him a moment before he was sure Jack's mouth would have opened. The paws around his leg shifted until those big, solid lion arms were wrapped around his torso, holding him to Jack's chest. Mouth now free, the griffin growled at Angela and snapped at her. Then, abruptly, he clamped his wings and dove again.  
  
Gabriel was absurdly grateful that he wasn't falling to his near-death this time.  
  
They shot down towards the treetops, Angela's scream of denial faint over the wind rushing in his ears. Gabriel closed his eyes, not because he didn't want to see where they were going, but because the wind was just too harsh. The dive changed to a horizontal trajectory, veering wildly left and right around trees he couldn't see, until finally the griffin backwinged and gently released him before settling to all fours.  
  
Fuck, the fight in the clearing.  
  
"I'm not gonna stab you," Gabriel gasped. He shoved the knife back into his boot and sat up to get his first _actual_ look at his savior.  
  
White fur. Blue eyes. Scarred face. Silky mane. Fuck, he wanted to just curl up against Jack's bulk and sleep for a week.  
  
The griffin padded closer, sniffing him with concern, or curiosity, or both.  
  
"I'm alright," he said softly, resisting the urge to bury his face in that mane. "I'm not hurt, just cold. _Really_ fucking cold," he added as the adrenaline wore off and the shivering set in.  
  
Jack made some lion sound Gabriel couldn't interpret.  
  
"I'll let you take me home," he joked through chattering teeth, absently rubbing his hands together, "but I don't kiss on the first date."  
  
"Rah," Jack said, and - wait - his whiskers were tilted forward. Yes! He was amused!  
  
Gabriel smiled in relief. "So...uh...how...?"  
  
Jack padded around to behind him, then nosed him forward onto his hands and knees. One paw curled around his belly again, then Jack shifted and crouched, clamping the other foreleg around Gabriel and launching himself into the air almost at the same time.  
  
_Much_ better than his future-memories said.  
  
Gabriel tried to stay awake for the rest of the journey to Jack's hoard, but the night had been too stressful; between the excitement, the drugs, and having Ana in his dream, he was exhausted. His eyes slipped shut and the world went dark.

 

* * *

Chapter 7

* * *

 

Sunlight in his eyes woke him - again - but this time when he opened them, he found himself in Jack's hoard, curled up in the soft bed of moss, leaves, and blanket scraps that was in the narrow end of the ravine but still caught the early-morning sun. Across the wider center of the ravine was the griffin's hoard, but Gabriel made no motion towards it. Maybe he'd need to meet Roadhog and Mei and Zarya and maybe he wouldn't, but he was _not_ about to shoot Jack and go running off like a madman again. They'd _talk_ about it like fucking _adults_.  
  
Just as soon as Jack got back.  
  
A few minutes later, the griffin came bounding down the sides of the ravine and proudly dropped a dead squirrel in front of him. Right. He'd forgotten about that.  
  
"Hey, how about we skip breakfast for now and talk instead?"  
  
Jack sat on his haunches and looked curiously at him.  
  
"I know a bit about transhumans," Gabriel pointed out dryly. "Enough to know when I'm in a griffin's nest, and to not touch the hoard even if it is guns and not gold."  
  
"Rah," Jack said, whiskers tilted forward again. Then he shrank with the usual (when did he start thinking of that as usual?) sounds until he was standing there in jeans and the 76 jacket, arms folded. "Okay," he said, and Gabriel's heart leaped at hearing his gravelly voice again. "Let's talk."  
  
He knew he should bring up the Reaper thing, but what he found himself asking was, "Why did you kidnap me from the harpy?"  
  
Jack looked away, uncomfortably. "Heard through the grapevine that a harpy had abducted a human man."  
  
Gabriel frowned. "But the only people who knew that live on top of a mountain. How..."  
  
"I told you." Jack pointed to a vine trailing down the edge of the ravine. "Ana Amari called me through the grapevine, so I went out looking."  
  
A literal grapevine. What was this, a fucking Xanth novel? Whatever; it was a good opening.  
  
"Did she tell you _why_ I was abducted?"  
  
The griffin shook his head. Gabriel took a deep breath.  
  
"I've been chosen as the Reaper's next Mantle."  
  
Jack visibly recoiled. "You're _what?_ "  
  
"I'm going to be the next Mantle," Gabriel sighed. "Gabriel Reyes, by the way."  
  
He held out one hand; Jack shook it, then sat next to him.  
  
"Jack Morrison. I'm not sure I like what I've gotten myself into, but even if I knew...I still would have kidnapped you. The Reaper is..." he shuddered. "I lost a lot of friends to the Reaper."  
  
Right. Amélie's grudge against Overwatch. Gabriel squeezed Jack's hand in a silent gesture of comfort.  
  
"But the host influences the Reaper, right? I mean...a good person isn't going to just go on a murder spree because they happen to be hosting it. I'm a cop. Los Angeles Police Department."  
  
Beside him, Jack stiffened. "LAPD? Is your - do you know a woman named Liao?"  
  
Play it cool, Gabriel. "Oh, she told you about me?"  
  
Jack ran both hands through his thinning hair. "Fuck. I promised her I'd look out for you if you ever came into my forest. We've got to get you somewhere safe."  
  
"Jack..."  
  
"I can carry you back to Ana's. It'll take a while, but-"  
  
"... _Jack_."  
  
The griffin turned to him curiously.  
  
"The Reaper's been after me for three years. It's getting desperate. It's _going_ to get me. I was abducted out of my own apartment, for fuck's sake, and then abducted out of Ana's living room."  
  
"What are you saying, Gabriel?" he asked slowly, warily.  
  
"I'm saying there's nowhere on Earth I could go that would keep me safe for long." Gabriel drew in another deep breath. "I'm _going_ to be the next Mantle. I've made my peace with that. But it would be a lot easier if I had a friend at my side."  
  
Jack looked anguished, torn between sympathy and horror. "But...Liao..."  
  
Gabriel closed his eyes, not nearly as at peace as he'd thought he was, and leaned against the griffin's shoulder. "Please don't let me go through that alone," he whispered, his voice shaking.  
  
The leather of the 76 jacket creaked as Jack wrapped an arm around him tightly. "I won't," he whispered back. "I promise."  
  
Whether it was terror, relief, or both...Gabriel cried.

 

* * *

 

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Jack sighed as they prepared to leave the ravine. "We're going to take a cross-country hike _hoping_ the harpy will find us and then talk to her about your _willing_ abduction and immanent..."  
  
"Ascension," Gabriel supplied. "Yeah. I'm having a hard time with it myself. But I've unintentionally been a pain in the ass to get a hold of for three years, and the Reaper's got to be pretty desperate by now. I think, as long as I'm willing, we shouldn't have a problem talking her into letting you come along. We just have to _find_ her - or let her find us."  
  
Jack sighed again. "Okay. I'm going to shift back. You sit right behind my shoulders, really clamp down with your legs and get a good grip on my mane. I'll carry you out and then we'll go for a stroll." He shot Gabriel a sly smile. "You _sure_ you don't want the squirrel?"  
  
Gabriel groaned. "I'm a city boy, Jack. I can barely figure out what to do with meat that's pre-skinned and packaged for me."  
  
"Alright," Jack conceded, chuckling. "I'll see if I can find a nearby campsite or something."  
  
The memory of uncooked hot dogs made Gabriel's stomach growl, but fear dampened his hunger. "No. We stay together. I don't want to risk her coming for me while you're out of earshot."  
  
_And more importantly,_ he thought, _I don't want to risk you winding up a prisoner again...or worse._  
  
A long moment passed as Jack gave him a searching sort of look, but finally, he nodded. "Okay. I'll take you up and then shift back. We can get to know each other as we walk."

 

* * *

 

Gabriel had no idea how much ground they'd covered by the time the sun set. There were no convenient campsites to raid, and when Jack shifted back to provide a warm body for Gabriel to curl up against, all he had in his stomach was a handful of sour berries and some cold stream water.

 

* * *

Chapter 8

* * *

 

Gabriel opened his eyes and found himself sitting at his desk back at the station.  
  
Right. Another dream. The owl serial killer flashback. Having his memories wiped. He could do without getting those repressed memories triggered again. Liao brushed past him and he let her go, looking around instead for Ana. She walked in a moment later, looked around, and then dashed for him. Gabriel stood and braced for impact, remembering that she would hug him, and she did.  
  
"I told you I'd be okay," he said as she pounded him on the back, and sure enough, when she released him she was close to tears.  
  
"Jamison woke me up and told me you were gone!" she half-accused him. "Hanzo immediately blamed Angela but I forbade him from leaving to try to find her. What happened?"  
  
"Angela drugged and kidnapped me," he said dryly. "Don't- I told you, I'm okay. Jack Morrison found me. But Ana - listen, I'm _going_ to be the Reaper's Mantle. I'm okay with that. It has to be someone, and I'm taking steps to ensure that I don't go crazy. But I'll be out of contact this way because the Reaper's host doesn't dream. Do you have some kind of magic cell phone number..."  
  
Gabriel trailed off because Ana was already scribbling on some random paper from his desk. He snatched it up as soon as she was done, committing the numbers to memory.  
  
"One last thing before I wake up," he blurted. "Please - don't leave Genji home alone. I may drop in unexpectedly."  
  
Ana opened her mouth to respond - to ask why, maybe, or how he knew - but he woke up.

 

* * *

Chapter 9

* * *

 

Jack was human when Gabriel woke up, the two of them spooning in the hollow his griffin bulk had made in the pile of leaves. Gabriel blinked back tears at how _comfortable_ it was to have Jack at his back again. A soft sound of contentment slipped out as he snuggled closer, still half-asleep.  
  
"You seem pretty comfortable," Jack said dryly.  
  
"Mm. Good morning to you, too."  
  
"Not going to leap away and protest at being spooned by another man?"  
  
Gabriel frowned. What was Jack getting at?  
  
"I knew you were a man. You're comfier as a griffin, but...meh."  
  
No response. Gabriel rolled over so he could see Jack's expression. It was...warily conflicted.  
  
"Gabriel," he said slowly, "are you...attracted to me? I'm not offended," he added quickly. "I just want to know what I'm getting myself into."  
  
_May as well get this over with_ , Gabriel thought. He took a deep breath.  
  
"I'm asexual."  
  
Jack blinked. "Oh."  
  
"But aside from not having any interest in getting into anyone's pants and not wanting anyone to get into mine...I'm not sure I've really figured the rest out yet. Maybe it's just because you literally rescued me, but I feel...comfortable...with you. If something develops, we can talk about it, but right now, that's where I stand." Gabriel swallowed, suddenly nervous. "Uh. How about you?"  
  
The silence stretched while Jack looked like he was wrestling with himself.  
  
"Most griffins have an eagle's head," he started slowly. "Being a lion-headed griffin...my urge to form and protect a pride is stronger than normal. But I don't really want to get into anyone's pants, either, or have anyone get into mine, so that makes things...awkward. Hard to settle down with a mate when you don't really want to do the mating."  
  
Well, _that_ was something his Potential Future Self had never learned. Slowly, Gabriel became aware that his eyebrows were raised as high as they could go and made an effort to lower them.  
  
"So...friends? Friends who cuddle?"  
  
Chuckling, Jack shook his head slowly as if dispelling disbelief. "Friends who cuddle," he repeated. "And if anything else develops, we can talk about it. But in the _meantime,”_ he said, sitting up and stretching, "we have to keep going. Try to find us both something to eat. And hope Angela finds _us_."  
  
Grumbling, but sort of smiling at the same time, Gabriel stood and stretched. Walking all day again wasn't his idea of fun, but Angela _should_ \- hopefully - find them today, and hey, at least this time he wouldn't snap and run through the woods like a lunatic.

 

* * *

Chapter 10

* * *

 

They found more berries after a few hours of walking, and sat to eat them out of pity for Gabriel's aching legs. They'd discussed their various upbringings to distract themselves, Gabriel forcing himself to open up in order to get Jack to open up in return. When Christmas rolled around, the griffin family traditions would _not_ take him by surprise.  
  
"Are you scared?" Jack asked quietly when all the berries were gone.  
  
Gabriel sighed. "Kind of."  
  
Jack snorted. "I'm terrified, and I'm not even the one who's going to be the Mantle."  
  
"I'm more scared about the possibility of having to go through it without you," Gabriel confessed quietly.  
  
Startled, Jack turned to look at him. Then, slowly, he slid one arm around Gabriel's shoulders. "I'm here for you, Gabe," he said in an equally quiet voice.  
  
Gabriel chuckled. "You know, normally I hate people calling me that. It feels too _close,_ you know? I only tolerate it from Liao." He laid his head on Jack's shoulder. "But it sounds good coming from you."  
  
Jack stiffened, then did something that felt like lipping Gabriel's hair.  
  
"What...?"  
  
"I'm preening you," the griffin growled. "It's a comfort thing. Shut up."  
  
"But you've got a lion's head."  
  
"I _know_. Doesn't mean I don't still have preening instincts."  
  
Gabriel laughed softly. "Okay, okay. It's a comfort thing. Thank you."  
  
They sat in silence for a while, leaning and preening, Gabriel trying not to think about the tangle that was Liao and how much of her friendship over the last decade had been an act. It was still depressing, even if relaxing in Jack's company was soothing away the stress of the last two or three days.  
  
Finally, Jack sighed. "I guess we better get moving again."  
  
Gabriel groaned, but let Jack help him to his aching feet.  
  
It was about an hour later before Jack lifted his head, scanned the sky, and muttered, "Finally."  
  
Angela landed ten feet away from them a few minutes later. She looked annoyingly clean and rested.  
  
"Gabriel!" she exclaimed. "I have been _so_ worried! You disappeared completely. I asked the nymphs and the birds and even went back to Ana's, but you'd vanished off the face of the Earth!"  
  
"I've been with him," Gabriel said, nodding in Jack's direction. "He's been watching over me."  
  
Angela took a few awkward bird-steps closer to Jack. "I appreciate your help. I'm terrified of what could have happened if he'd been stuck in the woods by himself," she said, just as patronizing as he remembered.  
  
Jack gave her a charming smile. "It was a pleasure," he said. "He mentioned being chosen as the Reaper's next Mantle...?"  
  
"A change in host has been overdue for almost three years," she confirmed. "We absolutely _cannot_ delay. I imagine you'll want something in exchange for watching over him, but I _must_ take him back with me immediately."  
  
"I want to go with you," Jack said in a tone like velvet over steel. Angela looked taken aback. "He feels comfortable with me."  
  
"I'll go willingly," Gabriel said, "but only if Jack comes with me. He makes me feel safe."  
  
Angela looked critically at both of them. "He _will_ need considerable attention while he adjusts to hosting the Reaper," she said cautiously. "Are you willing to help him eat, dress, and clean up after him?"  
  
The future-memory of all the gross substances he'd be expelling made Gabriel flinch.  
  
"I am," Jack said in a voice that practically _dared_ a listener to question him.  
  
Still, Angela didn't look convinced. "I can't carry both of you."  
  
"I'll carry Gabriel. You lead the way."  
  
Before the harpy could respond to that, Jack stretched and bulged into his griffin form. Gabriel climbed quickly onto his back, holding as tightly as he could with his knees and winding his fists into that silky white mane. Angela clamped her lips shut in a thin, disapproving line.  
  
"Ready when you are," Gabriel announced just a hair too smugly to be innocent.  
  
"Outsiders can't learn the location of-"  
  
"Angela," Gabriel interrupted in his cop voice, "I'm going to be the next Reaper. Jack is my friend. I want him with me. I can either be a very difficult patient, or a very cooperative one. It all depends on how well Jack is treated."  
  
She was wavering, he could see it.  
  
"One of the Reaper's powers is teleportation, right?" He waited for Angela to nod before continuing, "The Reaper has been set on me for three years. Chances are, I'm going to be _exceptionally_ compatible. Do you want to risk me teleporting out into the wilderness looking for my friend? Because I will."  
  
Jack started in surprise, and he patted the griffin's neck.  
  
"I won't do this without Jack, Angela."  
  
The harpy sighed. "Very well. Follow me, then."  
  
She started running, getting up speed before leaping into the air, wings beating hard. Jack made a soft sound that Gabriel interpreted as _hang on_ and leaped after her.  
  
This was _definitely_ better than running through the woods and then getting abducted out of a Burger King, Gabriel thought. And having Jack there to help him through the first shitty few days would be even better.  
  
He hoped.


	2. Hello Darkness My Old (New?) Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having successfully avoided the unpleasantness that would otherwise have led to being attacked in a Burger King, Gabriel becomes the Mantle. It's mostly what he expected, but forewarned is forearmed.

* * *

Chapters 11-16, I guess

* * *

 

Gabriel was very grateful for his hoodie, but even more grateful for the griffin's mane. His hands were toasty, in distinct contrast to his face and feet, but he didn't want to cover his face. He wanted to see where they were going.  
  
Seeing the Reaper's mansion (keep?) from the air was worth feeling like his nose was frozen solid. It gave him a sense for how big the place was, how big the grounds were, and weirdly, it gave him a sense of _belonging_. This was - or would be - his _home_. He _belonged_ there. And this time, he promised himself, he would _not_ start his occupancy as a sickly, patronized, ignorant pawn.  
  
They landed in the courtyard, startling a golem who let out a squawk and started trundling back inside before Angela whistled to it.  
  
"Jack and I need food badly," Gabriel announced as he forced stiff legs over the griffin's back and nearly fell.  
  
Angela gave him a look he was pretty sure was disapproving. Jack shifted back to his human form and helped Gabriel steady himself.  
  
"We were hiking all day yesterday looking for you," the griffin pointed out. "I can hunt in the woods, but Gabriel needs something less..."  
  
"Raw," Gabriel added when Jack hesitated. "I could go for half a dozen cheeseburgers, some fries, and a bucket of Coke." What had Jack ordered that first time? Steak, but he couldn't remember how well done, or what else was with it. He turned to the griffin. "Jack?"  
  
"Steak," the griffin announced. "Medium rare, with a glass of whiskey if you can, and a glass of water."  
  
The golem chirped at Angela, and Gabriel didn't need to speak ancient harpy to know that it was basically asking if it should obey these strangers. She whistled and chirped extensively for a minute, and it nodded before trundling back inside.  
  
"Follow me," she commanded the other two. "You will have time to eat while we prepare for Gabriel's ascension, and then Jack, you will wait in the room we have prepared for him."  
  
The griffin's chin came up in a stubborn gesture. "I want to be there for the ascension."  
  
Angela scowled. "I'm afraid that is quite impossible. No one else must be in the room, to ensure a smooth transition."  
  
On the one hand, Gabriel thought, that was really fucking sweet of Jack. But on the other hand, he was pretty sure he remembered his ascension _hurting like fuck_. "How about he stays just outside the room until I've become the Mantle?"  
  
The harpy hesitated.  
  
"I consider that an acceptable compromise," Jack said evenly.  
  
"Very well. Now, follow me, _bitte_."  
  
Gabriel flashed Jack a smile as they followed the harpy out of the courtyard, and was heartened when Jack smiled back.

 

* * *

  
  
"You will be quite weak for several days," Angela said as Gabriel chewed on his fifth cheeseburger. "It is vital that you rest and regain your strength during this critical time."  
  
Gabriel swallowed. "You want me on bedrest."  
  
The harpy looked relieved. "Exactly."  
  
Jack looked up from his third steak. "I'll be staying in Gabriel's room," he announced in a tone that brooked no argument. "If I'm going to be looking after him, I need to be accessible at all hours."  
  
Angela frowned, but nodded. "I'll have a second bed moved into the room. Gabriel? Do you have any requests?"  
  
Boy, did he. "Send So-" shit, he wasn't supposed to know about Sombra. "-meone to my apartment for my clothes, my laptop, and my phone. I've been missing for a few days now, and if Liao can't find me by mortal means, she's liable to start trying supernatural ones."  
  
"How much do you know about Liao?" Jack asked him curiously.  
  
Too damn much, he wanted to say. Instead, he answered, "More than she thinks I do. I've had my memories wiped at least once, but..."  
  
"But the stress you've been through in the last few days would have weakened that," Angela supplied. "I'll send someone immediately. Anything else?"  
  
Gabriel thought about accidentally teleporting to Paris wearing nothing but a flimsy silk robe. "This place is drafty and cold. What does the ascension ritual involve for clothes?"  
  
"There is a ritual robe..."  
  
"I want to be put in something warmer once the ritual is over, then."  
  
Thankfully, Angela nodded. "I'll see that it's arranged. Gabriel, thank you for your cooperation thus far. The transition goes much easier on a willing host, although you will still suffer a few weeks of your body trying to reject the foreign entity it is hosting."  
  
"That's a relief," he said honestly.  
  
"If the two of you are done eating, I will have a golem show you to the room you will be occupying. You may rest until we are ready for the ascension ritual."  
  
Jack shoved the last piece of steak into his mouth and washed it down with the last mouthful of whiskey. "I'm done. Gabe?"  
  
As much as he wanted to eat that last cheeseburger, he really didn't think he had room for it. "Yeah. I'm done."

 

* * *

Chapter 17

* * *

 

The room looked just the way he remembered it, only this time he was walking in of his own free will rather than waking up there. Jack looked concerned by the shackles waiting on the stone block, and not reassured at all when Angela informed him that they were there to keep new hosts from harming themselves inadvertently.  
  
"Once he is no longer in danger of hurting himself," she said, "you may carry him to his room."  
  
"Gabe, you're sure you want to do this?"  
  
Jack's eyes were worried. Gabriel leaned in to hug him, and found himself hugged tightly in return.  
  
"The Reaper has to have a host," he said quietly. "It wants me. If I can be a good Reaper, then that will be the best thing I've done with my life so far. This path led me to you. I'll walk it willingly, as long as you walk with me."  
  
Lips on his damp hair - at least he'd gotten a hot shower and a shave out of the ordeal, this time - tugging lightly. Jack was preening him.  
  
"Thanks," he whispered, a little surprised at how choked-up he was. He guessed that wearing nothing but black silk that didn't even have a belt to hold it closed sort of invited vulnerability.  
  
"Gabriel?" Angela's voice. "It's time."  
  
"See you on the other side," he joked as Jack released him.  
  
The stone was cold against his back as he lay down on the slab, and he tried not to flinch as the shackles closed around his ankles and wrists. The click-click-click he remembered came from down the hall, and there was a tense silence before Jack squeezed his shoulder one last time and left the room.  
  
Amélie looked worse than he remembered, but maybe that was because he knew what she looked like when she was healthy.  
  
"Let me get to the point, Gabriel," she said, exactly the way she did in his future memories. "I am dying."  
  
"And I'm here to become the next Reaper," he said shortly, "so how about we skip the chit-chat and get on with it?"  
  
She jerked back, startled. "Are you aware that in order for you to ascend, I must die?"  
  
With effort, he throttled back a host of sarcastic answers and simply said, "Yes."  
  
"I still have several years of my life left to live," she seethed. "Goals. Ambitions. All of them shackled by..."  
  
Gabriel rolled his eyes.  
  
"...this _thing_."  
  
"And now you've got buyer's remorse," he snapped. "Look, are you going to die or not? Because if you've figured out some way to get rid of the Reaper without dying, then you can monologue at me later but right now, I'd _really_ like to just get _on_ with it and I'm sure the Reaper's just as impatient."  
  
Amélie recoiled in affront. "You don't care that I have found a way to cheat death?"  
  
"I'm sure I'll care a lot more later," Gabriel said with more honesty than either harpy was likely expecting. "But right now? I'm laying on a stone block wearing nothing but see-through silk and my nuts are _freezing_ , so can we _please_. Get. On. With. It."  
  
"Hmph. Angela?"  
  
The white-feathered harpy hurried around to stand behind the current Reaper. "This should only hurt a little."  
  
Gabriel closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to see Amélie being murdered. He'd watched it once, and that was enough. The sounds were still horrific, though. When they quieted, he opened his eyes and smiled at the hovering, confused cloud that curdled in the air above his head.  
  
"I know you are impatient," Angela said in a voice that shook slightly, "but would you mind if I resurrected Amélie before transferring the Reaper to you?"  
  
Right. They were lovers, or would become lovers.  
  
"As long as you don't monologue at me," he answered. "I'm serious about my nuts."  
  
She laughed, just a little, and Gabriel went back to smiling at the black cloud that was his future. It drifted slightly lower, and he silently urged it to come down into range for him to try to inhale it. The fact that he was _eager_ to be the Reaper (again? Fuck, that was still confusing) boggled part of him, but for the rest of him...it wasn't being possessed by an entity of rage and violent death. It was being _complete_ again.  
  
Finally, Amélie gasped sharply and then coughed. He could hear Angela fuss briefly over her before urging her to leave the room, lest the Reaper try to take her again. Clicking footsteps, the door opening and closing. Then Angela, her fingers bloody, was standing next to the stone slab again.  
  
"Thank you for your patience," she said, a note of earnestness in her voice. "Are you ready to begin?"  
  
Gabriel took a deep breath; the Reaper trembled and came slightly closer.  
  
"Do it."  
  
Angela's eyes began to glow a somber yellow, the light clinging to her fingertips, and the cloudy mass of the Reaper edged towards them. The candles seemed to dim, and insubstantial voices whispered things he couldn't make out. Those glowing fingers urged the seething cloud down towards Gabriel's face, and he opened his mouth as if he were waiting for a priest to place a communion wafer on his tongue.  
  
The Reaper slithered inside, unnatural and cold, down into his lungs as he inhaled and then spreading through his blood, carried to every part of his body. As willing as his mind was, however, his body still protested the foreign presence. That same unimaginable pain exploded from every cell at once, and Gabriel started screaming.

 

* * *

Chapter 18

* * *

 

Helplessly, Jack watched as Gabriel spasmed and jerked on the slab, screaming like he was being murdered.  
  
"The pain will subside as soon as the Reaper fully embeds itself in his body and soul," Angela murmured. "None of my magic would make this process any faster or less painful. All we can do is wait."  
  
"You're _sure_ you did everything right," the griffin growled.  
  
"I did it exactly the same way I did for Amélie. The way the ceremony has been always performed, as far back as the records go. It may," she conceded, "be harder on him because he is human."  
  
Amélie slipped back into the room, averting her eyes from the griffin glaring coldly at her. "How is he?"  
  
Gabriel's screams had been replaced with high-pitched sobs, tears streaming down the sides of his face, and his struggles were slowing.  
  
"As well as can be expected," Angela sighed. "I am glad he was a voluntary host, at least. He won't be fighting us at every step." Her eyes slid over to Jack.  
  
The griffin _hmphed_. "As long as you treat me well, anyway."  
  
The other harpy glared at him. "I still don't think he should have been allowed inside, much less roaming freely."  
  
"Well isn't that just tough luck for you," Jack snapped. "You're not the Reaper anymore; what you want doesn't count for _nearly_ as much as what Gabriel wants."  
  
"I _was_ the Reaper," Amélie shot back. "I should have killed you."  
  
"I should kill _you_ ," Jack said evenly. "For all the friends of mine you _murdered._ "  
  
"Try it. I may no longer be the Reaper, but I am by no means helpless."  
  
"Gabriel can safely be moved," Angela cut in almost desperately. "Jack..."  
  
"Get him out of those restraints," the griffin said darkly.  
  
Angela touched each shackle, causing them to fall open. Jack had scooped Gabriel - still moaning weakly - into his arms almost before the last one opened, and turned towards the door with an expression that said he would walk right over Amélie if she did not get out of his way. With one last venomous glance, she threw the door open and stalked down the hall.  
  
Jack followed Angela through the corridors to the transition room, where he laid Gabriel's limp body on the king-sized bed. A second, much smaller bed had been shoved into one corner. Angela rummaged in a wardrobe for a moment and came out with a flannel night shirt that would reach to Gabriel's knees and a pair of thick woolen leggings.  
  
"I will leave the dressing to you," she informed Jack primly as she handed him the garments. "Be aware that we have cameras mounted in the room to better monitor our fledgling Reaper. There will be a golem stationed outside his door at all times; if he needs anything, don't hesitate to request it. I will be back in the evening to check on him."  
  
Eyes averted, Jack nodded and Angela slipped out of the room. He recognized her from her Overwatch days, and he wanted to snap at her the way he'd lashed out at Amélie because apparently _this_ is what she'd been up to when she vanished. She'd been complicit in the murder of people he'd cared about, people he'd thought were her friends, too, and he was still processing how he felt about that.  
  
But that wasn't important right now. _Gabriel_ was important, and carefully, Jack wrestled the woolen leggings onto him before taking off the silk robe and slipping the flannel nightshirt over his head. Then he pulled back the covers and laid Gabriel carefully in bed. His skin was cold, worryingly cold, and the griffin crawled into bed beside him. The covers weren't as warm as his feathers, but he couldn't talk to Gabriel in his natural form, so he'd make do.  
  
With the fledgling Mantle in his arms, Jack settled down to wait and try not to worry.

 

* * *

Chapter 19

* * *

 

Gabriel woke up surrounded by warm, heavy weight. His throat felt exactly like he expected it to, his mouth was dry, and while he felt a little delicate in the tummy area, he didn't feel like he was going to vomit black goo either. Cautiously, he shifted on the bed and swallowed a yelp when every nerve in his body flared up with sudden pain.  
  
"Gabe?"  
  
Some of the warm heaviness shifted and he realized Jack had been wrapped around him.  
  
"Hurts," he choked out, doing his best to lay still and relax and being _very_ thankful that he wasn't remotely as nauseous as his future-memories suggested he might be. "When I move," he clarified when he felt Jack freeze.  
  
"I'm not surprised," Jack said quietly. "you were thrashing quite a bit. How's your throat?"  
  
"Sucks."  
  
The griffin chuckled. "Think you could keep liquids down if I hold the cup for you?"  
  
That was a good question. "Sit me up first?" Gabriel rasped.  
  
The bed shifted as Jack re-arranged pillows into a mound and then slowly, carefully, propped him up like an oversized doll. His stomach did a few somersaults, but then settled when nothing else happened. Cautiously, Gabriel opened his eyes.  
  
Stone walls. Stone floor. Red rug. Bookshelf. Second bed.  
  
Second bed?  
  
"I'm thinking of asking the golems to take it out," Jack said, following the direction of Gabriel's confused scowl. "Unless you're not comfortable sharing a bed with me."  
  
Part of Gabriel wanted to crack a joke. He told that part to go fuck itself.  
  
"As long as you're comfortable with it," he said instead. "Um. I think I can hold down water. At least, let's start with water and see what happens?"  
  
Jack smiled. "Alright. Be right back. Don't go anywhere."  
  
"I'll try not to," Gabriel said solemnly.  
  
He meant it; he didn't remember the sneeze-teleporting kicking in this quick, but if it did, at least he seemed to be pretty warmly dressed...except for his feet. Experimentally, he wiggled them and felt the prickling pain of abused nerves, but they didn't seem too cold. Just...  
  
Fuck. He remembered that tickling sensation. And now he could feel it on his hands, too. Don't look, Gabriel, don't look. Just sit there like a doll and let your not-yet-boyfriend take care of you.  
  
"Hey Jack," he said as the griffin turned away from the door and let it close again. "Are there any nice, thick socks in that wardrobe?"  
  
Jack frowned. "I'll check. Are your feet cold?"  
  
"Not while I'm under the covers," he answered honestly, "but the floors..."  
  
"They _are_ pretty chilly." Jack rummaged in the drawers and came out with a reassuringly thick pair of socks. "Want them on anyway?"  
  
"No." Noooo. "Give them here, I'll just-" wait, no, hands doing the same thing. "Actually, can you stuff them in the pocket of this nightshirt? My hands...don't want to work right now."  
  
Jack's eyebrows went up. "That's...mildly alarming," he said, but he rolled the socks up and tucked them in the pocket, as requested.  
  
_It would be more alarming if you saw what they were doing, White Bread._  
  
Thankfully, the door opened and a golem came in bearing a tray...table...thing meant for eating in bed. Aside from the glass of water, there was also a mug of something that steamed and a bowl of something else that steamed. Jack thanked it and took the tray, setting it down over Gabriel's lap. Looked like the mug was tea, and the bowl was broth.  
  
"Start with the water?" Jack asked, sitting beside him.  
  
"Yeah. Thanks."  
  
Jack held the glass while Gabriel took tentative sips, but the only effect it had on his stomach was to remind him that those cheeseburgers had been a while ago and that broth was smelling pretty darn good. When he voiced that to Jack, the griffin started feeding him like a little kid. It was just chicken broth, but damn if it wasn't fucking delicious and he ate every drop. The tremors set in almost as he swallowed the last spoonful, and he did not object at all when Jack took the tray away and hugged Gabriel to his chest.  
  
In fact, Gabriel was feeling pathetically grateful the griffin was there holding him. Almost as grateful as he was that he wasn't suffering from nausea this time. Yeah, he'd probably be horking up black tar or bloody chunks later, but for now he was warm and safe and content.  
  
Gabriel slept.

 

* * *

Chapter 20

* * *

 

The feeling that his lungs were full of dust woke Gabriel some unknown length of time later. He supposed that even being willing, he couldn't weasel out of _all_ of the side effects, and shifted a little to try to get a deeper breath.  
  
"Gabe?" Jack murmured sleepily.  
  
"I think I'm gonna need a bucket," he answered softly.  
  
The griffin climbed out of bed and retrieved something from the floor. A metal bucket. Angela must've left it there. Gabriel struggled to sit up, noting absently that his hands seemed to have knocked it off with the rotting thing. He wondered if his scars were smoking, but this wasn't a good time to check for that. Jack hauled him up into a sitting position and handed him the bucket as the coughing got worse. The dark, chunky substance Gabriel hacked up and spat into the bucket made him recoil, and he almost laughed at the mental image of Jack as a big cat trying to back away from the slime he was coughing up.  
  
A few minutes later, he spat out what seemed to be the last of it and let Jack take the bucket while he slumped, exhausted, against the pillows. Jack opened the door, said something he couldn't make out to the golem, then handed it the bucket before coming back to hold the glass of water for Gabriel to drink.  
  
He sucked the whole thing down, glad to get the taste of his own shredded tissues out of his mouth, and his stomach growled.  
  
"The golem should be back in a minute," Jack reassured him. "Anything in particular you want to eat?"  
  
"What time is it?"  
  
Jack blinked. "You know, I have no idea."  
  
"Breakfast, then," Gabriel decided. "Fruit, eggs, waffles, sausage, the whole nine yards."  
  
"You got it." Jack went back to the door, exchanged a few words with what had to be a second golem, then came back. "Angela was serious about there being a golem at all times. She _really_ wants to make sure you stay here and have everything you need."  
  
Gabriel chuckled weakly, remembering how uncooperative he would have been without his future memories. "Can't blame her. I _hate_ being sick. I'd be climbing the walls without you here, Jack."  
  
The griffin sat on the bed, but not next to him. "Gabe...can I tell you something? Something...private?"  
  
Oh, he was all ears for this. "Anything."  
  
"Griffin culture is very focused on being _strong_ ," Jack started slowly. "Especially male strength. A male is supposed to be strong, to take a mate and form a pride and fight off any threats. To defend his pride with life and limb. And male griffins who prefer male mates...are expected to overpower and almost subjugate their mates. Female griffins who take female mates are expected to do the same, and usually not given much flak because the assumption is that they fought themselves to a 'male' role and they get respect for that strength - as long as they beat the crap out of any male who looks at their mate the wrong way. But the 'female' role..." he looked away.  
  
"I'm not judging," Gabriel said softly.  
  
"The _female_ role...is the caretaker. The one who sees to the male's needs, who puts aside their own desires to make sure the male doesn't have to worry about anything but defending the pride. The big spoon, curled protectively around their dominant mate."  
  
Gabriel blinked. "Wait - being the little spoon is a _dominant_ position?"  
  
Jack nodded. "With griffins, yes."  
  
"But you've been-" Gabriel shut his mouth suddenly, afraid of saying the wrong thing.  
  
"I've been taking the supportive role," Jack said evenly. "And, Gabriel, I feel comfortable doing this for you."  
  
Gabriel's heart jumped into his throat. "Do you..." he trailed off, unsure of what he wanted to ask.  
  
"I don't want to be subjugated, but I don't think you're the type to do that anyway. I want to defend you, but I also want to support you."  
  
"I don't see anything wrong with that," Gabriel said slowly. "Human relationships aren't that clear-cut. I mean, yeah, you find a chauvinistic asshole and he's gonna try to _make_ it that way, but healthy relationships are more give-and-take. No one partner dominating the other. Both partners supporting each other. Equals."  
  
Jack stared at the blanket for a long minute.  
  
"If we ever visit my parents, we'd have to pretend to adhere to traditional griffin mated-pair roles. I don't want to ask you to put up with that, especially if my extended family is involved."  
  
Gabriel thought about Jack's...uncle? cousin?...relatives treating him like he was Jack's fucktoy.  
  
"If I act...less submissive than they're expecting, but then pretend to submit to you, would that make you look _super_ strong and dominant for having supposedly tamed me?"  
  
Jack's head came up and he pinned Gabriel with a piercing look. "You'd do that? You'd put up with my narrow-minded family?"  
  
"You're putting up with me, Jack."  
  
Slowly, Jack smiled and Gabriel felt like he was going to melt. Then the door opened, and a golem trundled in with a new bucket and a tray loaded down with the breakfast Gabriel's stomach had been dreaming about. Hot on its heels was Angela, wearing a fluffy white bathrobe. Jack took the tray and put it on Gabriel's lap, and then...actually, Gabriel had no idea what Jack was doing because he was stuffing fresh fruit into his mouth and trying not to voice any sounds of pleasure. He wasn't really aware of what anyone else was doing until he'd eaten the last bite of waffle and washed it down with orange juice.  
  
Jack took the tray and handed it to the golem, who whistled and left the room. Angela had apparently brought in a chair for herself and now sat by the side of the bed while Jack sat awkwardly at the foot. Oh, right, this was going to be the talk about symptoms and duties and shit, wasn't it?  
  
"You are doing very well so far," Angela told him brightly. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"Uh...pretty good, actually."  
  
"This is not the first time you've awakened since your ascension. How did you feel when you first woke up?"  
  
"Throat hurt a lot. Everything hurt when I tried to move. Hands felt weird," Gabriel said, skirting the issue.  
  
"Any nausea?"  
  
Gabriel shook his head. "Only a little. It went away with some water."  
  
That made her look relieved. "You're handling this _very_ well. Let me tell you about some of the symptoms you might still get while your body adjusts..."  
  
Gabriel listened, or at least pretended to listen, while Jack edged closer and soaked up every word. Then she described some of the Reaper's powers that might spontaneously manifest. He wasn't really paying much attention; not only did he know this all already, but he _remembered_ how to do things. And Jack was cuddling him. He was full, he was warm, his griffin had brought up the idea of meeting his family and might already be thinking of him as 'mate', and it was probably the middle of the night. His eyes slid shut again, and he let Angela's voice wash over him as he drifted back to sleep.

 

* * *

Chapter 21

* * *

 

The memory of having Zenyatta close his Sight, of finding out Jack was alive and feeling his sanity snap at that, of turning into smoke to escape his room, woke him.  
  
Well, technically, the fact that he'd _turned into smoke in his sleep_ woke him, and in his gaseous flailing around, he woke Jack, who froze and called his name uncertainly.  
  
Fuck. How did he put himself back together, again? It seemed so instinctive, but he just couldn't-  
  
Ah, there. Gabriel found himself sprawled, naked, across half the bed while Jack watched with the covers drawn up to his chin like a startled housewife. A quick check confirmed that he still had all his fingers and toes, but he was smoking slightly. Also, ravenous.  
  
"I think I need to practice," he said in what was only half a joke. "I'd like to not be naked when I pull myself back together."  
  
Jack didn't look amused. In fact, he looked pretty freaked out.  
  
Gabriel frowned. "Jack? Jack! Hey, White Bread! _Featherbutt!_ Earth to Morrison?"  
  
The griffin shook his head and focused on him with effort. "Sorry, Gabe. That was...there's a difference between the way you smell normally, and the way you smell when you're using the Reaper's power. A _big_ difference. I wasn't prepared for it."  
  
Awkwardly, Gabriel sat up, doing his best to keep his groin covered. "You okay?"  
  
"Yeah, just..." Jack averted his eyes and rummaged under the covers for the things Gabriel had been wearing. "It's...you're a bigger predator than me. It's kinda terrifying on a primal level. I've never been around the Reaper before, much less had someone I care about suddenly emanate Reaper energy from right next to me."  
  
There was silence for a minute as Gabriel wormed his way back into his nightclothes, including the very warm woolen socks. He was going to _seriously_ appreciate these when he accidentally teleported to Paris.  
  
"Okay, so I need to practice so I don't re-form naked, _and_ so you can get used to what it feels like. I don't want to freak you out. But first, breakfast. What do you think?"  
  
Jack still wasn't looking at him. His fingers were kneading the covers anxiously. Gabriel crawled across the bed until he could wrap his arms around the faintly-trembling griffin and pull him against his chest. Then, remembering their berry lunch in the woods, he lowered his head and lipped at Jack's hair. A sigh slid out from between Jack's lips and he relaxed into Gabriel's embrace.  
  
"Your eyes," he murmured after a minute. "They're red, and they kind of...glow. It's going to take some getting used to."  
  
"They weren't red last night?" Gabriel asked quietly.  
  
"Mm. They were more dark red, and they didn't glow."  
  
Oh, right. "I think they glow brighter the more I'm drawing on the Reaper. Sorry about that, Jack. I'll completely understand if you don't-"  
  
He didn't get a chance to finish, because Jack sat up so suddenly that Gabriel let his arms fall in surprise. Then he found himself being tightly hugged to Jack's chest, the griffin lipping at his hair.  
  
"You're still part of my pride," Jack growled. "I'll get used to it."  
  
Gabriel felt incongruously small and safe. No wonder he'd fallen for the griffin in less than a week.  
  
"Thank you, Jack," he said in a small voice. "That really means a lot to me."  
  
They cuddled like that for another minute or two before Gabriel's stomach complained loudly enough to make them both laugh.  
  
"Okay," Jack said, releasing Gabriel. "Breakfast, and then practice."

 

* * *

  
  
Once he'd eaten, Gabriel lounged against the pillows and started small. One finger, two fingers, his hand. It was easier than he thought it would be, given how hard he remembered having worked on going to smoke, but he wasn't trying his whole body. Jack initially went still, frozen in primal fear, but either his instincts got tired or he convinced them that Gabriel wasn't a threat, because it didn't take more than an hour before he was cuddling Gabriel to his chest again. When Gabriel got used to his hand dissolving and re-forming, he went up to the elbow, then the shoulder. Suddenly he remembered the shadow scythes Liao had used to cut down Ojal, and froze with his right arm a slender lash of smoke.  
  
Slowly, awkwardly, he reached out and plucked a book off the bookshelf with his smoke-whip-arm.  
  
"Hey, pretty good, Gabe!"  
  
He tossed the book into the air, sharpened the whip, and slashed.  
  
Two neatly-severed half books fell to the floor.  
  
"Okay," Jack said into the silence, his arms almost painfully tight around Gabriel, "that was fucking terrifying, not gonna lie."  
  
Gabriel snapped his arm back into being an arm and curled up against Jack's chest. "No arguments here," he said in a tight voice. "Jack?"  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"I've never killed anyone."  
  
_Liao doesn't count. Liao doesn't count. I haven't killed her. I remember it, but it hasn't happened._  
  
"As the Reaper," Jack said slowly, "you're going to have to."  
  
Gabriel squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to see Liao's ruined throat, her blood on his hands. "I know. But I don't want to."  
  
Lips on his hair.  
  
"You're going to be fine, Gabe. You're a good person. Do you want to practice some more? It'll be hard for anyone to hurt you if you just turn into smoke."  
  
"I think I need a nap, actually."  
  
Jack tugged the covers up higher around them. "Go ahead and sleep, Gabe. I've got you."  
  
God _damn_ he loved that griffin.

 

* * *

Chapter 22 (and 23?)

* * *

 

"Gabe. Gabe!"  
  
The warm surface he was sleeping on shook. Gabriel sat up, sleepy and sulky. "What?"  
  
Jack practically leaped out of bed and came back with...a roll of paper towels? "You're bleeding."  
  
Gabriel felt warmth leaking from his nose and sniffed, but that just made his sinuses sting. He took the paper towel Jack offered him and dabbed at his nose, not surprised when it came back with a black, tarry substance on it. Fuck, the sneezing. Was this-?  
  
He sneezed into the paper towel, then made a face at the sheer amount of black goo on it. "Guh."  
  
"You're telling me," Jack teased. Instead of taking it back, he held out the bucket. "I'm not touching that."  
  
He thought about teasing the griffin. Then he looked at the goo again. "I don't blame you," he said, wadding the paper towel up and dropping it in. "Gimmie another one of those."  
  
Three more sneeze-filled paper towels later, Gabriel sniffed experimentally and then blew his nose.  
  
"I think that's over with," he said cautiously. "For now, anyway."  
  
Jack handed him another paper towel and sat on the bed. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"A little hungry. Relieved that I didn't spontaneously manifest another Reaper power. Gotta pee."  
  
That made Jack chuckle. "Do you need help getting to the bathroom?"  
  
That was a good question, actually. Carefully, using Jack as a support, Gabriel crawled out of bed and stood up. Damn, those socks were great. His legs were a little wiggly, but otherwise he was fine.  
  
"I should be okay," he said. "I could really go for a roast beef sandwich with salt-and-vinegar chips and a Coke. How about you?"  
  
Jack grinned at him. "I think it's a little early for lunch, but I'm not the one getting used to hosting the Reaper."  
  
Gabriel frowned. "What makes you say it's too early for lunch?"  
  
Instead of answering, Jack pointed to the little battery-operated alarm clock on one of the shelves. It read 10:45.  
  
"Fine. Call it brunch. I'll be right back."  
  
While Gabriel was in the bathroom, Jack talked with the golems. One went off to fetch the fledgling Mantle's brunch; it came back with Angela in tow. Gabriel listened with half an ear as she told him about Zenyatta, and how he had been waiting years to present the Shambali's case because Amélie had shirked her duties as Mantle. Most of his attention was on his meal. Idly, he opened his Sight.  
  
Feathers and needles; Angela. Cold wind and strength; Jack. The two golems outside the door. Where was- Ah. The stillness and serenity of a mountain peak; Zenyatta. He still wasn't sure how to communicate through his Sight.  
  
Hello?  
  
_My, my. This is a surprise. A curious and polite Reaper?_  
  
More like he'd already learned from his mistakes, but whatever.  
  
_You have met one of the Shambali already, then?_  
  
Well- yes and no-  
  
_But you have been gifted with a glimpse of the future. Or at least, a possible future._ Zenyatta's mental voice was confused and concerned.  
  
I think we'd better discuss this in person, Gabriel thought.  
  
_As you wish, Reaper. I will await your summons._  
  
"Gabriel!" Angela was glaring at him.  
  
"I was checking Zenyatta out with my Sight," he protested. "I want to talk to him soon. In person. Oh - Jack, hand me a paper towel, I'm going to-"  
  
He snatched at it, fairly ripping it out of the griffin's hands. Just in time, because that was one _monster_ sneeze and...  
  
...wait...  
  
The keep wasn't _that_ drafty. Cautiously, he opened his eyes.  
  
"Yeah," he sighed, wadding up the paper towel and being extremely grateful for his nice, warm socks. "We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto."  
  
The Eiffel Tower glittered in the distance, golden lights shining brightly against the darkness of the dusky evening sky.

 

* * *

Chapter 24

* * *

 

Right. He was in Paris, but this time he was wearing thick woolen socks, woolen leggings, and a flannel nightgown slash oversized shirt thing. And his eyes were probably glowing. At least his nuts weren't freezing.  
  
Gabriel started looking around for someone talking on a phone. Humans seemed to almost not see him; supernatural creatures looked at him in fear and scurried away. Wait! That guy - that was the guy with the phone! He reached out and snagged the sleeve of the guy's pinstriped suit as he walked by, too deep in his phone conversation to notice that he was passing the Reaper.  
  
"I need to borrow your phone," Gabriel said, prompting the guy to stammer something into the phone, hang up, and thrust it at him. He took it with one hand, still holding the guy's sleeve. "Don't go anywhere," he growled, and the man nodded in terror.  
  
Quickly, Gabriel typed Ana's number into the phone and hit the call button. The numbers flashed gold and flowed into Ana's spidery handwriting and he held the phone to his ear.  
  
It rang. And rang. And rang. Gabriel anxiously counted the rings. At seven, the line picked up.  
  
"Hello?" Ana said.  
  
"Ana! It's me, I don't have much time so listen closely. _Do not let Genji out_ _of your sight_ , I'm probably going to be dropping in. I'll try to explain more when I get there."  
  
A brief pause, no longer than a breath. "Okay. We will see you soon, then."  
  
As he pulled the phone away from his ear, Gabriel could hear Ana yelling for Hanzo. He jabbed the end call button and handed the phone back to the terrified...vampire? Yeah, there were the fangs. "Thank you, sir. You have a business card?"  
  
The vamp shook his head. Just as well, Gabriel thought. He was probably going to sneeze himself into the ocean next.  
  
"Merci," Gabriel said, knowing he'd probably butchered the pronunciation but not caring. "The Reaper owes you a favor. Have a good day."  
  
A sneeze was building; he let go of the vamp's suit and readied his paper towel. _Please not underwater!_ Frantically, he imagined the Sydney Opera House as seen from close to shore.  
  
Splash!  
  
The Sydney Opera House loomed before him. Grateful beyond words, he sucked in a lungful of sea air. The water wasn't actually that cold, something else he was grateful for as he started treading water. Of course, the flannel nightshirt made that harder, but he only had to hold on until...  
  
He sneezed.  
  
Coils of black smoke wreathed him, and he found himself dripping on the floor of...some room in the Shambali monastery.  
  
"Oh my," said a soft voice from behind him, and he turned to see...Mondatta. Of course. "I wasn't expecting you quite so soon."  
  
That was either a polite fiction or an outright lie, but Gabriel decided to play along for the moment. "You were expecting me?"  
  
"Of course," the djinn said in his melodic wind-chime voice. "You are the Reaper, are you not?"  
  
"Oh, am I? That would explain the sneezing out black goo and teleporting and...are my eyes glowing?"  
  
"Yes," Mondatta said mildly.  
  
"Yeah, the glowing-eye thing. Look, sorry for the sarcasm, but I'm soaking wet and fucking freezing."  
  
Recognition dawned in all nine of the djinn's eyes. "Of course. Come into the sanctum; I'll prepare you some tea and give you dry clothes."  
  
Gabriel followed silently, swallowing all the biting comments he wanted to say. He remembered how nice and warm the Shambali robe and boots were going to be and he did _not_ want to jeopardize his chances of wearing those.  
  
"My name is Tekhartha Mondatta," his host announced. "I am the leader of the Shambali. At present, you are in our monastery."  
  
"Zenyatta is your emissary?"  
  
Mondatta smiled at him. "Indeed! Had I known you would be visiting, even inadvertently, I would not have bothered to send him to your doorstep."  
  
Gabriel doubted that.  
  
Eventually, they came to a small, homely room with a fireplace in one corner. Gabriel wasted no time edging close enough that its heat was almost painful.  
  
"I will be back with a robe and tea," Mondatta assured him. "Please, do not be bashful about shedding your wet clothes. None will spy upon you."  
  
Only the flannel came off; the woolen leggings and socks warmed up, and Gabriel mentally congratulated himself on that. Mondatta came back with tea and a robe, which he helped Gabriel into, giving the tea time to cool down a bit.  
  
"So you're a djinn," Gabriel said, remembering the conversation that led to him getting really warm boots, "but not the type that grants wishes."  
  
Mondatta laughed. "I _could_. Do you want a wish granted?"  
  
"No."  
  
"No?" the djinn repeated, laughing with surprise.  
  
Gabriel shrugged. "If magic could really solve problems, the Reaper wouldn't be necessary."  
  
"Wise and astute." Mondatta gave him a measuring look. "If you _could_ have a wish granted, what would it be?"  
  
"Some nice, warm boots."  
  
Another peal of laughter from the djinn. "A practical wish! Very well. Please, warm yourself and drink. I will be right back."  
  
Smirking into his teacup, Gabriel basked by the fire and enjoyed the sweet tea. Mondatta returned a few minutes later with fur-trimmed boots. Gabriel gulped the rest of his tea and shoved his feet into the boots just as his nose began to tickle.  
  
"Ah, excuse me, I'll be back later," he said hurriedly.  
  
Gabriel sneezed. Times Square. Sneezed again, the front porch of the Morrison home, with Jack's dad freaking out and trying to get away as fast as physically possible. Sneezed a third time, and found himself standing on Ana's couch. On his rug, Jesse surged to his feet and let out a terrified howl that brought two vampires and an elderly witch running in the time it took Gabriel to climb down.  
  
"You're alive!" Ana cried joyfully, hugging him tight.  
  
"You are the Reaper," Hanzo pointed out calmly.  
  
"I am, and Genji, don't even fucking _think_ about my blood. You may not live to regret it." Gabriel pulled out of Ana's grasp and gave the vampire a threatening glare. "I'm still learning the Reaper's powers - I'm gonna teleport out of here if I sneeze again - but I can more than defend myself." He paused. "Also, I met a djinn named Zenyatta. If you're good, maybe I'll take you to see him."  
  
The effect on Genji was startling. His sulky, bratty demeanor melted away, leaving him looking eager and almost innocent. "Master Zenyatta!"  
  
"Still working on getting a cell phone," Gabriel apologized to Ana. "Had to borrow one from some random guy when I sneezed and found myself in Paris." His nose started to tickle. "Uh...hold that thought. I'll be ri...right..."  
  
Gabriel sneezed. Zarya and Mei looked up from making out on the couch, various degrees of anger and surprise on their faces.  
  
"Who are _you?_ " Zarya demanded.  
  
Shit. He hadn't met Mei.  
  
"Gabriel Reyes, former LAPD under Liao," he said quickly, hands up. "I'm not a threat-"  
  
He sneezed, and Mondatta said, "Welcome back."  
  
"Hold that thought," Gabriel told him, feeling the unsatisfied tickle in his nose.  
  
A flurry of sneezes, and then he was in a misty field with a herd of cows. Great. He remembered this. The friendly cow - Mugir, he'd named her - came up to say hello and he petted her for a few minutes until the herd began to go back to the dryad.  
  
"Hey, do you mind if..."  
  
Mugir knelt down, lowing almost cheerfully.  
  
"You are a queen among cattle," he told her as he straddled her broad back. "Thank you."  
  
Once again, for the first time, he found himself riding a cow. This time, he was determined to _not_ pull the naiad's soul out and almost eat it.

 

* * *

Chapter 25

* * *

 

Unexpected bonus to the woolen leggings: he didn't have to adjust himself _nearly_ as much while he rode the cow and tried to talk things over with the Reaper.  
  
No soul-eating. Soul-eating bad. Souls were not food. Yes, it was created to eat souls, but not just _any_ souls. Construct souls. And then only if they'd been bad.  
  
Gabriel found himself wondering what Mondatta's soul would taste like. Okay, the Reaper knew Mondatta's significance and didn't like him. Gabriel supposed that was fair, considering that Mondatta - and his rebellion - was literally the reason the Reaper had been created. Of course, it didn't like Liao either, and Gabriel remembered uneasily that the Reaper didn't like Mantles who took the position for personal power or vengeance.  
  
Fuck. It had to have learned that from Liao, meaning there was probably no chance in hell she could be swayed from her hatred of constructs. Could the Reaper pull her soul out and swallow it? Probably not; it would be like a snake swallowing its tail. But then if she was immortal...how did that work, exactly? Could he slice her to ribbons the way she murdered Ojal, or put a bullet between her eyes? Would she heal like Wolverine? Would she get back up, like the Highlander, with no sign of injury? He'd have to ask Jack about the family not-cat.  
  
He was seriously considering the murder of a woman who, a week ago, he would have called his closest friend. But then again...she'd kill him in a heartbeat if it got her the Reaper. She was thousands of years old, a decade was barely enough time to get fond of someone. She probably saw him more like a pet, he thought, remembering a conversation that didn't happen about him moving in with her. Or a young blowhard who reminded her of herself when she was younger. Only cared he was also bait for the Reaper. Or at least, he _had_ been.  
  
Now he had everything she wanted, and the only chance any of them had to take her out was to (temporarily) give her the Reaper. God, he was not looking forward to that.  
  
As unsettling as his thoughts were, they kept him from falling asleep until the cows started galloping the last little bit to the clearing where he would meet-  
  
"Where are they?"  
  
-the dryad, Satya.  
  
"Hi," he said brightly before she could say anything else. "I'm the new Reaper. Your cow was kind enough to give me a ride. You have a problem you need me to mediate?"  
  
The dryad frowned, but gestured for the cow to follow. "I do."  
  
As she led the cow down a narrow path, she explained how the naiad, Hana, refused to keep her river clean. They arrived at the river bank soon enough, and Gabriel carefully climbed off the cow and shook himself out. He could do this. He was the Reaper.  
  
"Hana! There is someone here to settle this," Satya called imperiously.  
  
The naiad surged up from under the water, and Gabriel could see the trash from junk foods that littered the pebbled river bottom. She stared at him in shock.  
  
"You got the Reaper?" she squeaked at Satya, going slightly pale.  
  
Satya's chin went up, satisfaction dripping from her expression. "Yes, I did. He'll clean up your act."  
  
Here it comes, Gabriel thought with an internal eyeroll.  
  
"Yeah? You don't scare me!"  
  
His right arm dissolved into a whip of smoke that wrapped around the naiad's chest, pinning her arms. He tugged sharply, forcing her a few steps closer, enough that he could reach out and touch her with his left hand if he so chose. Instead, he leaned down into her face, seeing the reflection of his blazing red eyes in her pupils.  
  
"I _should_ ," he growled, feeling the familiar surge of the Reaper taking notice. "Your river is _filthy_. You are not worthy of it."  
  
Hana was trying to babble something, some form of defiance, but her eyes were wide with terror.  
  
"Clean it up," Gabriel said, deadly quiet, his left hand sliding along her collarbone to hover just over her heart. "If you do not..."  
  
He reached into Hana, fingers sliding through her body as if it were water, closing around her soul but _not_ removing it. She sucked in her breath and held it, almost too afraid to think.  
  
"If you do not," he repeated, "I will eat your soul and let someone else claim your river."  
  
With a bit of effort, he let go of her soul and removed his hand, snapped his arm back into being an arm and shoved her gently. She staggered back a few steps and fell backwards to sit in her river, crying in complete and utter terror.  
  
"Clean up your river," he commanded again, noting that even Satya seemed more scared than smug. "Don't make me come back."  
  
He'd timed it right; a sneeze climbed up his nose. It exploded out of him, and then he was gone.


	3. Deck The Halls, Not The Vampire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel takes control of his training. Zenyatta is impressed. Jack's great-grandmother is nobody's fool. And lions don't purr, but it's cute so it's canon.

* * *

Chapter 26

* * *

 

Jack surged to his feet as Gabriel appeared in the room - and promptly caught him as he almost collapsed.  
  
"Gabriel! What happened?"  
  
Limbs feeling like rubber, the fledgling Reaper let Jack haul him onto the bed and curled up with his head in the griffin's lap. "I can teleport," he sighed. "I'm exhausted, White Bread."  
  
"Do you need to eat? Do you need..."  
  
"I need to rest."  
  
Fingers, gentle on the side of his face. "Let me see your eyes?"  
  
Gabriel opened them, stared up into worried blue.  
  
"They're dull, like old coals. You _are_ exhausted," Jack said softly. The whimper that escaped Gabriel's throat made his heart clench. "Gabe? What's wrong?"  
  
"I'm gonna sneeze again," was the answer.  
  
Gabriel turned his head, sneezed, and vanished into curls of black smoke.

 

* * *

  
  
He woke up on a thick, braided rug before Mondatta's magical fire, feeling rested but uneasy. The reason for that became clear as he sat up to discover the djinn watching with a tolerantly amused expression.  
  
"Are you quite well?" Mondatta asked in a tone that might have been mocking from anyone else.  
  
"It's not as easy as it looks, hopping all over the world," Gabriel said sourly. "It's fucking _exhausting_. How long did I sleep?"  
  
"Nearly two hours. I prepared you some tea, but while it has been kept warm by the fire, I would be more than happy to prepare a fresh cup for you."  
  
The tea. It tasted weird, but it was good shit. "I will happily drink both cups," he said.  
  
Of course, he had to let the mugs cool before he could drink either one. And he felt a sneeze coming on. Carefully, he held the cups out and braced himself-  
  
-and opened his eyes to discover Jack giving him a worried look that turned to relief.  
  
"Hold this?" Gabriel asked, shoving one mug at Jack and then chugging the other. Yup, tasted like shit. He held out the empty mug and gestured for Jack to give him the other one, then downed that one as well.  
  
Jack took the mugs and put them down, then urged Gabriel back into bed and held him close. Gabriel told him about the places he'd found himself, and mediating the dispute between two nymphs.  
  
"How do you feel aside from exhausted?" Jack asked, more than a little concern in his voice.  
  
"Hungry, I think, but I don't know what for. A milkshake and a cheeseburger, maybe."  
  
He relaxed with a small, contented sound as the griffin lipped at his hair.  
  
"I'm going to have the golems bring you food, and also let Angela know you're back. She was kind of concerned when you vanished; I'm pretty sure she's going to want to talk to you about it."  
  
Gabriel groaned tiredly. "I'm sure. If I fall asleep, it's not my fault."  
  
Carefully, Jack unwound himself from around the fledgling Reaper and went to talk to the golems.

 

* * *

Chapter 27

* * *

 

Although he looked like he was sleeping, Gabriel was wide awake and sifting through his future memories. He'd changed things enough that he basically had some free time; Jack hadn't been cuffed or let out too quickly - briefly, Gabriel was full of _rage_ that the griffin had been held prisoner and Angela hadn't bother to _tell_ him about the dangers of setting him free, and on top of that, threatened to put him down! It took a handful of breaths before he de-ruffled from the memories of talking Jack out of a feral state. That's when he'd learned the shadow tendril trick, though, and that had impressed Angela enough that she'd had him go outside to practice with Amélie.  
  
_That_ was something he was eager to avoid, and showing off the shadow scythe should put enough power behind his 'no' that he wouldn't spend hours getting his ass kicked and learning to heal. He could figure that out on his own, thanks to the memories of having learned it, but that's when he wound up as Genji's unwilling snack. Maybe he could hurry things along, since he wasn't being treated like a fucking child and kept in the dark this time.  
  
"Gabriel?" Jack's voice interrupted his thoughts. "The golem's here with your lunch, and Angela's here, too."  
  
Reluctantly, he sat up and stretched. He was still feeling pretty good thanks to Mondatta's tea. This was probably a bad idea, but no worse than some of the things he'd done in his future memories.  
  
"Send for Amélie and Zenyatta," he told the harpy in a firm voice. "If we're going to discuss my abilities, I want everyone on the same page."  
  
Angela frowned. "Why Zenyatta? He's not-"  
  
"I'll bet twenty bucks he has memories of things you don't have in your Reaper-helper records," Gabriel interrupted.  
  
"Very well." She spoke quietly with a golem, then came back to perch on the foot of the bed. "Where did you go when you disappeared?"  
  
Jack handed him a tall, thick milkshake - chocolate - and he took a healthy sip. Mmmm.  
  
"Paris," he answered once he'd swallowed. "Then the ocean by Sydney. Then the Shambali monastery. That's where I got the robes."  
  
Angela was still frowning. "Why those places?"  
  
Mouth full of milkshake, Gabriel shrugged. "Fuck if I know. Maybe the Reaper wanted to see the world."  
  
Although she clearly wanted to ask more questions, Gabriel was devouring a cheeseburger. When he finished, Jack resumed his position on the bed next to him. Angela opened her mouth, but was interrupted by Zenyatta and a pissed-off Amélie entering the room.  
  
"Oh, good," Gabriel announced, pulling his legs up to sit cross-legged on the bed. "Everyone's here. I learned a new trick today: teleporting. Zenyatta, I met Mondatta, although we didn't have much chance to talk."  
  
The djinn brightened. Amélie scowled.  
  
"You have barely been the Mantle for a _day_ , and already you have learned teleportation? I was the Reaper for a _decade_ and never was able to accomplish that."  
  
"I guess it just likes me better," Gabriel said smugly. "You wanna see?"  
  
Amélie's eyes glittered coldly. "Oui. Show me your prowess."  
  
He leaned briefly against Jack. "I'll be right back."  
  
Alright. He'd done this dozens of times. He was going to do this, just...not right now. He _should_ be able to do this.  
  
Gabriel closed his eyes and concentrated.  
  
"You're back! Hanzo, he's back!"  
  
Jesse's excited voice had never sounded so beautiful. Gabriel opened his eyes and sighed in relief as Hanzo, Genji, and Ana came running in.  
  
"Alright! Yes, I'm the Reaper. I can teleport. I'm still getting a handle on things, but honestly, it's not that bad. Anyone have anything to say before I see if I can bring Genji back with me?"  
  
"I missed you!" Jesse practically howled, wrapping Gabriel in a hairy hug. Thankfully, he was wearing jeans. "Even though you smell weird now!"  
  
Gabriel patted his back awkwardly.  
  
"If you say you are alright, I will take you at your word," Ana said doubtfully.  
  
"I'm fine," he assured her. "I'm actually taking the transition really well."  
  
Hanzo simply met his eyes and nodded. Then he beckoned Jesse to his side. Alright. Time to see if he could do this.  
  
Reaching in a way he couldn't describe, Gabriel pulled a tendril of solid shadow out of the floor and wrapped it around Genji's waist. "Right," he announced. "Time to go. I'll call when I get a phone."  
  
Focus. Visualize the room. Keep hold of the vampire.  
  
They both vanished.  
  
As soon as they appeared, Gabriel released the tendril and swayed, catching himself on the bed and sitting heavily.  
  
"There," he said in Amélie's direction. "Teleported, _with_ another person, and manifested a fully-controlled tendril of shadow. Satisfied?"  
  
Angela frowned. "Shadow tendril?"  
  
Gabriel gestured one into being. It rose like a cobra, waved, and dissipated.  
  
"I've never heard of a Reaper doing anything like that," she said, shaking her head.  
  
Zenyatta cleared his throat. "If I may," he said diffidently, "I have known other Reapers with that precise ability."  
  
Angela looked at him curiously. "You have? That is a relief, but the logs I have..."  
  
"Although I am young, relatively speaking, I have seen more than seventy-eight Mantles. I would place Gabriel as one of the most powerful I have ever seen."  
  
The Mantle so named inched closer to Jack, who in turn was inching closer to him. Angela and Zenyatta continued talking about Mantles, how they differed and the theory that good people made the best Reapers. Gabriel just leaned against his griffin and watched Genji stare at his master in awe.  
  
"Gabriel," Angela said suddenly, "Jack says you mediated a dispute between nymphs while you were...out?"  
  
"Hm? Yeah." Lazily, he told them about threatening Hana with the Reaper's help, wrapping his hand around her soul but not pulling it out or eating it.  
  
Every word made Amélie look less and less pleased with him, and finally she stalked out.  
  
"It took her _weeks_ to get into shape enough to use any of the Reaper's abilities," Angela confessed to them. "Turning into mist and healing herself, mostly. Teleporting, the shadow tendrils...she was never able to utilize those abilities. And you...resisted the Reaper's impulse to eat the nymph's soul?"  
  
Gabriel averted his eyes from hers. "I...didn't actually get an impulse to eat it."  
  
The silence at that pronouncement was confused and uncertain.  
  
"By the way, Angela," Gabriel said in a blatant attempt to change the subject. "Is it okay if Genji stays with us for a while? As Zenyatta's guest?"  
  
The harpy let out a long-suffering sigh. "I suppose. Come with me, please, both of you. We'll let the Reaper rest and perhaps, after dinner, Zenyatta may present his case."  
  
"Sounds good to me," Gabriel said. "I'm just...gonna rest until then. It's been a long day."  
  
The harpy, djinn, and vampire filed out, leaving Jack and Gabriel alone in the room.  
  
"You doing okay, Gabe?" the griffin asked quietly.  
  
"Could be a lot worse," he answered, yawning. "Thanks for being here for me, Jack."  
  
Lips tugged gently on his hair. "Just rest, Gabe. I've got your back."

 

* * *

Chapter 28

* * *

 

Before dinner, though, something else happened - something unexpected (or at least, unpredicted) and pleasantly surprising.  
  
His things arrived.  
  
Jubilantly, Gabriel sorted through his clothes and then changed into some comfortable jeans and sarcastic black tee. He even had _shoes_ , and as much as he appreciated the Shambali boots, sneakers were much more suited to casual dining in the formal dining room. Angela hadn't _said_ that where dinner would be, but he figured that's what would happen and sure enough, one of the golems opened the door and whistle-chirped at them.  
  
"It's going to lead us to the dining room," Jack interpreted.  
  
Gabriel rolled his shoulders and admired his shirt ("Sarcasm: just one of the many services I offer") one last time. "Alright. Let's go have dinner."  
  
The dining room was just the way he remembered it, and for a second, he was tempted to take the Reaper's throne at the end. The chandelier shifted to reds and purples, reflecting his 'I am Reaper, hear my roar' mood. The harpies were seated on one side of the table, about halfway down. He and Jack sat across from them.  
  
The golem with the apron and chef's hat came up and whistled. The harpies gave their orders, and then it turned to them.  
  
"I want a plate of nachos like this," Gabriel said, holding his hands about two feet apart. "Cheese, beef, sour cream, jalapenos, everything. And a pitcher of water."  
  
"My usual steak," Jack said. "With a baked potato. Sour cream and chives. Water to drink."  
  
The golem chirped and vanished through a door to what Gabriel figured passed for the kitchen.  
  
"So you resisted eating the naiad's soul," Amélie said in an accusing tone. "My advice is that you eat your first soul in the next debate you settle and get it over with. Resisting it is only going to get harder." Her hard, yellow eyes slid over to Jack. "You don't want to accidentally do it with someone you care about."  
  
"I didn't have the urge to eat her soul," Gabriel replied evenly. "Don't assume my experience is going to be the same as yours. The Reaper _likes_ me; it didn't like you."  
  
Amélie jerked as if he'd slapped her.  
  
"Your powers _are_ developing remarkably fast," Angela said hesitantly. "But you seem to be able to control them reasonably well. Angry or violent outbursts are a well-documented phenomenon for Mantles, with some of them given therapy or even medication for anger management. There _were_ several incidents in the dossier we had on you that were _concerning_..."  
  
Gabriel couldn't deny them, but he'd been better this time. Amazing what a difference it made when he wasn't kept in the dark.  
  
"Have you witnessed any angry or violent outbursts?" he asked instead. "I've been under considerable stress this week, but I haven't done anything past getting a little mouthy. Did that dossier tell you _why_ I got violent with the perps?"  
  
Angela looked uncomfortable. Apparently, it did not.  
  
"I won't deny that I have a temper, but I'm only vicious to people who deserve it. If you're a serial rapist or you murdered a kid, I'm gonna make sure you get at least some of what you deserve. The naiad was just a brat who didn't want to clean up her mess. I gave her a good scare, but I didn't hurt her. I'm not a murderer."  
  
Under the table, Jack took his hand and squeezed gently. Amélie looked _furious_.  
  
"You are recovering... _far_ quicker than I had anticipated," Angela said slowly. "I wonder if we shouldn't skip straight to working on your ability to defend yourself. After dinner, you and Amélie could go into the yard and-"  
  
"No," Gabriel interrupted in a tone of cold iron.  
  
"No?" Amélie repeated, incredulous.  
  
Gabriel gave her a cool look. "I don't think it's a good idea."  
  
"Why-"  
  
His right arm became a whip of smoke; it reached across the table in a flash and grabbed the spoon from Amélie's place setting. He tossed it into the air, _sharpened_ , and sliced.  
  
Two pieces of metal clanged against the surface of the table as they landed.  
  
"I don't want to risk a training accident," Gabriel said quietly, the words dropping like pebbles into the stunned silence. "I can work on my hand-to-hand combat with Jack without worrying that the Reaper might get...agitated. But I don't think it's a good idea to engage in physical combat with someone that has an... _unhappy_...relationship with the Reaper."  
  
"You still need to practice your abilities," Angela protested.  
  
"He has been," Jack said, surprising everyone. "He woke up as a cloud of smoke and then spent a few hours learning to control it, starting with a finger and working his way up to the arm. Give him time, give him space, and let him keep doing what he's been doing, because so far he seems to know more about this than either of you."  
  
The golems arrived with their dinners, and for several minutes they busied themselves just eating. Gabriel devoured nachos gleefully, reveling in the crunch and the gratuitous amounts of nacho cheese. Whoever was responsible for giving him this future knowledge, he was _incredibly_ grateful because they'd given him more than just knowledge. They'd given him a chance to avoid his fuckups.  
  
"So," he said after he'd downed half a glass of water, "can I get some details about Zenyatta's case before I meet with him?"  
  
He kept eating as Angela described the conflict between the Shambali and Overwatch - or, at least, as much as she knew - and how Amélie had avoided settling it because her personal vendetta meant no one would trust the verdict to be fair. Jack seemed to put side some inner conflict to speculate with Angela about what Liao knew, but as he listened to them talk, Gabriel realized (remembered?) that Angela had once been a part of Overwatch, and he supposed Jack had a bit of a grudge against her for siding with Amélie.  
  
That led to speculation about the technomancer, Sombra, and Jack voicing uneasiness about Liao. That led to _everyone_ voicing realizations that no one knew much about Liao at all, and Gabriel found himself sharing a knowing look with Amélie.  
  
"The Reaper does not like her," Amélie said softly, causing Jack and Angela to stumble to a verbal halt. "It did not share much with me, but it shared that."  
  
Angela looked troubled. "Do you have any clue as to why?"  
  
While Amélie shook her head, Jack cleared his throat. "She kept Gabriel out of your clutches for three years. Given how much it seems to like him, I think that would be a good enough reason."  
  
The dark-feathered harpy looked uncertain, but nodded. "It could well be."  
  
Three sets of eyes turned to Gabriel.  
  
"I can't really say why it doesn't like her," he said slowly, picking words that were misleading but true. "But whatever the reason, I get the feeling we'll find out."  
  
The rest of dinner was uncomfortably silent.

 

* * *

Chapter “we don’t need no 29” 30

* * *

 

After dinner, Gabriel and Jack went back to the recovery room to discover that the second bed had been removed and replaced with a small desk. His laptop had been set on it, along with a much bigger, much beefier-looking laptop. Both computers, and his phone charger, were plugged into a power strip that didn't connect anywhere as far as Gabriel could tell.  
  
Immediately, Gabriel dialed Ana's number and put it on speakerphone. Seven rings later, Ana said, "Hello?"  
  
"It's Gabriel," he said, grinning. "I've got Jack with me."  
  
"Gabriel! Jack! Are you two okay?"  
  
"We're fine," Jack assured her, also grinning. "How's that mountain you call a husband?"  
  
Ana laughed.  
  
"I've got to go talk to Zenyatta about his case," Gabriel said, handing the phone to Jack, "but I'll let you two catch up and gossip about me while I'm gone, okay?"  
  
Jack pulled him into a one-armed hug and lipped briefly at his hair while Ana voiced agreement with that plan. "Okay. I'll be here."  
  
Smiling and maybe blushing just a little, Gabriel slipped out of the room and opened his Sight, orienting on the djinn and giving him a metaphoric warning knock before he set off down the hall towards the room he and the vampire were in. Both of them were fully dressed (again?) when he _actually_ knocked, and Genji scurried obediently off while Zenyatta waved Gabriel inside.  
  
The room was the way he expected it to look, but he looked around anyway, unsure of how to start the conversation since they weren't discussing Genji.  
  
"You are quite an unusual Reaper," Zenyatta said gently, hands clasped in front of him. "A normal human, thrust into the world of magic. Kidnapped and chosen for something that makes even supernatural creatures flinch. And yet, you do not lash out in fear or confusion. You do not even gape at my appearance, although I know you have never seen one of my kind before today, despite your answer of _yes and no_. Quite the mystery," he said mildly, although his eyes were sharp. "How can you have been gifted with a vision of a possible future without having met a djinn to gift it?"  
  
Gabriel took a deep breath. "That is an excellent question," he said, "and I honestly have no fucking clue. I woke up on the side of a cliff _knowing_ things, and they haven't been wrong yet."  
  
Zenyatta gave him a piercing look. "Have you used this knowledge to alter your own future?"  
  
"Fuck yes." He didn't even hesitate; the words just burst out of him. "Without that knowledge, your student would have about a liter of my blood inside him and I would have punched him in the face a lot for it."  
  
The djinn blinked, all nine eyes closing in unison. "How curious. Why, then, did you bring him to me instead of simply avoiding him entirely?"  
  
"Because..." Gabriel floundered. "He's not...you and..." He stopped and took a deep, centering breath. "You two are happier together. I didn't see a reason to deprive you both of that; I just didn't want to be an unwilling meal for it to happen."  
  
"Compassion," murmured Zenyatta. "Altruism. How fascinating. Well, you may know some of this already, but with your permission I will present the Shambali's case in its entirety."  
  
Gabriel sat on the stool and gestured for the djinn to take a seat. "Please do."  
  
The future knowledge meant that he understood far more of the case than he had the first time around. He listened until the end, nodding and making encouraging noises.  
  
"You would not go unrewarded," Zenyatta assured him. "The Reaper always demands a price, and we have a fair exchange to offer you."  
  
"Is it removing the Reaper without killing me?" Gabriel asked, one eyebrow arched.  
  
Troubled silence was his answer. A thought, the seed of an idea, niggled at him. Removing the Reaper without killing the host. Not for him - he would be able to kill himself and be resurrected, and he damn well wasn't going to give the Reaper up after everything. He remembered how the entity had fled Liao's body and made a beeline for him, how it had waited patiently between his cupped hands until he was ready to take it back. Maybe it would lead to disaster, but he wouldn't abandon the entity who had been a slave for so long. No, not for _him_ , but what if...  
  
...what if he asked Mondatta to remove the Reaper from Liao a second time? What if, this time, he _didn't_ kill her?  
  
Gabriel shook his head. "We can discuss your offer later," he said, causing Zenyatta to sigh in relief.  
  
"You may already know what I am about to offer, but will you accept a small payment in advance?"  
  
The three futures. Marriage, madness, and death.  
  
"Do it," he commanded softly, the words more like a gentle challenge or an invitation.  
  
The djinn assumed the Lotus position, three extra pairs of ethereal arms unfolding as he began to glow a soft gold and float just above the surface of the cot.  
  
The Iris opened.

 

* * *

  
  
The warmth and domesticity of Ana's home, sparkling joy at being newly-engaged.  
  
The cold horror of being a monster, mitigated only by the absence of wedding rings.  
  
Liao, closing the eyes on his dead body, arranging his hands on his chest, looking like a picture-perfect mourner. The way her eyes lit up when the Reaper slipped out from between his cold lips.  
  
But behind the images of futures yet to come, a sense of amused familiarity. The barest glimpse of something beyond comprehension, the corner of a mouth turned up in a smile, tolerant and proud. The answer to a question he hadn't asked, even in the silence of his own mind: _Was it you?  
  
Yes._

 

* * *

Chapter 31

* * *

 

Gabriel jerked forward, heart pounding and lungs heaving not out of fear, but simply at the sharp transition between states of consciousness. Zenyatta sat on the cot, staring at him with all nine eyes as wide as they could physically get.  
  
"I don't talk about it, you don't talk about it," Gabriel gasped. "That's the way it works, right?"  
  
Numbly, the djinn nodded.  
  
They sat in silence for a handful of minutes, breathing and letting the future-memories settle. Slowly, it occurred to Gabriel that if that _was_ the Iris that he glimpsed behind the futures, then that was something new. He didn't remember that from the first time around.  
  
"Do you always see _her_ when you look at the future?" he asked curiously.  
  
"No. Nor is the future of a Reaper always so... _clear_."  
  
It wasn't? Gabriel frowned. "What do you mean?"  
  
"The Reaper is...somewhat shielded from our sight," Zenyatta explained. "To try to see the Reaper's future directly is to invite frustration; better to focus on someone close to the Reaper, and guess at the Reaper's actions from what can be glimpsed."  
  
Well, _that_ explained some things.  
  
"I'm guessing you focused on Jack." A nod from the djinn. "But he wasn't in that third one, was he?"  
  
"He was, but off to the side. As though awaiting a signal."  
  
Fuck, that was too close to home. How early was too early to start discussing plans with Jack?  
  
"Alright," he said somewhat shakily, "I've heard your side. I'll have to ask Angela what my next step is, but I imagine you and Genji can go back to the monastery at your leisure."  
  
Zenyatta looked at him, looking somehow withdrawn and uncertain. "Reaper," he said diffidently, "if I may ask...how do you think you will rule?"  
  
Gabriel stood up and turned towards the door. "That depends on Mondatta."

 

* * *

  
  
He spent the rest of the evening chatting with Ana, Hanzo, Reinhardt, even Jamison and Jesse, and promised he'd try to arrange a day where he and Jack could visit before finally hanging up. Then, cuddled up in bed with Jack, he slowly explained the Shambali's side of the case.  
  
"I feel like we're missing something," Jack complained, finger-preening Gabriel's hair.  
  
"Like Liao's side of the story?" he asked dryly.  
  
Jack snorted. "Yeah. You're not expected to do anything official in your first month, Angela said, but you met with Zenyatta. You could meet with Liao, too. Right?"  
  
"I'd like to get a better grip on some of my powers first."  
  
"Well, yeah." Jack hesitated. "Also, it's Christmas next week."  
  
Fuck, it was. In a teasing voice, Gabriel said, "Don't worry, Jack. You don't have to get me anything."  
  
"And here I was going to invite you to spend Christmas with my family," the griffin teased back.  
  
Gabriel raised his head to watch Jack's expression. "You want to do that? Pretending we're mates, pretending to dominate me?"  
  
Jack looked away, cheeks coloring. "If you're okay with it."  
  
Slowly, Gabriel shifted until he could wrap his arms around the griffin and lip at his hair. "I'll talk to Angela tomorrow," he murmured.

 

* * *

  
  
"You want _what?_ "  
  
The protest could almost be called a shriek. It echoed around the dining room, causing the chef golem to peek out briefly before retreating. Jack and Amélie had already finished their breakfasts, leaving only Angela and the fledgling Mantle at the table.  
  
"I want Christmas off," Gabriel repeated evenly. "I'm going to be busting my ass learning how to be the Reaper, I don't think one day is too much to ask."  
  
Angela frowned. "What are you not saying, Gabriel?"  
  
"Jack wants to spend Christmas with his family in Indiana to keep them from getting suspicious. I'm going to teleport us there, spend the day with him, and teleport us back."  
  
"No. It's too risky."  
  
"Angela," Gabriel said, trying to keep his voice gentle, "it's going to be fine. Don't you want a day to yourself?" He could see her wavering. "Look, just pencil it in and see how the next couple of days go."  
  
"Fine," the harpy sighed. "So we'll go over the supernatural world for two hours after breakfast, and then break for an hour, then lunch. After lunch you'll work on your Reaper abilities, and then we'll review, and then you can train your body and shower before dinner."  
  
"Subject to change depending on how well it works," Gabriel said with just a hint of challenge in his voice.  
  
"Of course." Angela looked down at the muffin she had shredded with nervous fingers. "Gabriel...I know you are doing your best, and your best so far has been exceptionally well, but you are still new to all of this. Harpy chicks are kept in the nest until they are fully fledged. With Amélie, that instinct worked to our advantage. But you are human, and I am aware that my protective instincts can be a bit...smothering."  
  
"You want to keep me safe," he replied softly. "I appreciate that. I want to _be_ safe. That's why I'm going to concentrate on going to mist and healing. If anything happens, I'll be able to keep myself safe and bring myself home."  
  
Jerkily, she nodded. "We will discuss meeting with Overwatch at the end of your first month. After that, I will ask around and try to secure a neutral location for the meeting."

 

* * *

  
  
With both Jack and Angela as his teachers, the lessons about the supernatural world went...more entertainingly. Gabriel focused on turning completely to mist and not leaving his clothes behind, and after a few days could leap off his bed and be mist before he touched the floor. After that he borrowed a fork from the dining room and alternately stabbed himself and healed the wounds while Jack watched in distress and frantically mock-preened him when he finally collapsed into an exhausted heap to rest. Turning his arms into shadow-scythes was scarily easy to master, but he kept them to whips while Jack was around.  
  
In the evenings, they talked about griffin culture and Jack's family, Gabriel memorizing names and relationships with the same intense focus he used while memorizing clans of fruit-bat vampires and other bits of knowledge he was sure he'd never use.  
  
Angela was mollified enough by Gabriel's dedication that on Christmas Eve, she presented them with matching Christmas sweaters - red for Gabriel, blue for Jack - and flushed when the fledgling Mantle joked that he was forgiving the twenty bucks she owed him for being right about Zenyatta knowing Reaper abilities she didn't. The djinn and his vampire lover had taken their leave just that morning, with Gabriel teleporting them (one at a time) to the Shambali monastery.  
  
"You're _sure_ you're okay with doing this," Jack asked yet again as they went to bed.  
  
Gabriel hugged him firmly from behind and aggressively mock-preened his hair. "Remember when we had that talk in the woods?"  
  
"Friends who cuddle?" Jack said after a moment.  
  
"Yeah. And how we'd talk if something else developed?"  
  
In his arms, the griffin went still.  
  
"I wouldn't mind _being_ your mate," Gabriel said softly. "But if you don't feel that way-"  
  
"Gabe."  
  
Startled, Gabriel let his hold loosen. Jack turned in his arms, returning the embrace, and looked into the fledgling Mantle's eyes for a long moment before slowly leaning in to press his lips against Gabriel's.  
  
"I would be proud to have you as my mate," the griffin murmured, their lips almost touching, his eyes fluttering shut.  
  
Slowly, Gabriel's lips curved into a soft smile and he kissed Jack. "I'm the big spoon tonight," he murmured.  
  
"Not if I sleep as a griffin."  
  
"Ooh. You win. Let me grab the blanket so I'm not sleeping on the floor."  
  
While Gabriel made a nest for himself, Jack carefully shed his human form and then spent a solid two minutes licking Gabriel's hair. Finally, he settled onto the floor and waited for his human to get settled before spreading one wing over him to act as a blanket.  
  
It was the best sleep Gabriel had gotten in _years_.

 

* * *

I guess this is Chapter 32

* * *

 

Upon waking up, Gabriel's first thought was, _Christmas_. His second thought was pure, unadulterated glee because he was cuddled up to a still-sleeping griffin who'd _kissed_ him. Carefully, he sat up and turned enough that he could get one hand in Jack's mane. Then he settled back down against his feathered flank and started finger-combing the silky white strands. It didn't take long before a low vibration started up, and Gabriel grinned fit to split his face.  
  
"You purr!" he exclaimed in a delighted accusation.  
  
" _Ruh_ ," protested the griffin sleepily.  
  
"I love it," Gabriel said, softer, both hands combing through Jack's mane.  
  
The purring got louder. Another minute or two passed before he shifted and craned his head around with clear intent to lick Gabriel's hair.  
  
Gabriel kissed the center of Jack's lion nose.  
  
The griffin shrank down until he was human again, sitting cross-legged on the floor with both hands over his face. "That tickled," he complained, sniffing.  
  
The instant he brought his hands down, Gabriel kissed the tip of his nose. "Is that better?"  
  
For just a moment, Jack looked delightfully bashful, with his cheeks turning pink. Then he lunged at Gabriel, initiating a play-fighting wrestling match that ended with the fledgling Reaper on his back, wrists pinned above his head, being kissed slowly and tenderly by the victorious griffin.  
  
"Merry Christmas to you, too," Gabriel murmured when his mate finally let him up.  
  
Oh my god. They were mates, they were _actually_ mates.  
  
"Gabe?" Jack asked, worried by the dazed look on his face.  
  
"I'm your mate, Jack."  
  
The griffin froze. "You're my mate. You're really my mate. You...you're okay with this?"  
  
"You're the one mated to the Reaper," Gabriel teased. "Are _you_ okay with this?"  
  
Jack blushed. "I might not have been if you hadn't told me you're asexual. The Reaper is known to have a short temper and react violently when angry."  
  
He didn't have to spell it out; Gabriel could imagine his second-future self hurting Jack if he'd wanted sex but the griffin didn't - or couldn't perform. Horror that felt...weirdly distant...boiled up and he hugged Jack's head to his chest, mock-preening and kissing his hair.  
  
"I would never hurt you," he promised in a fierce whisper. "And...I think the Reaper wouldn't hurt you, either."  
  
A shaky laugh. "That's a relief," Jack said quietly. "Angela warned me that Reapers sometimes form unhealthy attachments. Psychological dependencies. But..."  
  
"Balance," Gabriel murmured. "You support me, I support you. Equals."  
  
"Except when we visit my parents," Jack sighed.  
  
Gabriel hugged him a bit tighter. "How can I convey to your family that I'm the supportive mate?"  
  
Jack squirmed, and Gabriel let him go, only to find himself hugged to the griffin's chest.  
  
"Let me do the talking," Jack said quietly. "Don't speak unless you're spoken to. Stand just behind me if we're standing, like you're shy and I'm your protector. If I'm sitting but not at a table, sit on the floor by my leg. Try to act clingy, or at least touchy-feely towards me, but don't initiate anything. Fuck, Gabe, I'm sorry-"  
  
"Not your fault," Gabriel interrupted. "I'll be polite to your parents and grandmother, but if any of your other relatives get mouthy with me, I'm gonna get mouthy back. Just say my name sharply if I'm going too far."  
  
Jack hugged him tighter. "I don't want you to have to do this."  
  
"We can scandalize them later, I promise." That made Gabriel grin as Jack laughed. "Come on, let's go have breakfast. I want to have a good, solid meal inside me in case I don't get the teleportation right on the first try."  
  
"Have you ever gotten it wrong?" Jack asked as they both climbed to their feet.  
  
Gabriel winced. "No, but I've only really tried to get anywhere specific a few times."  
  
"I have faith in you, Gabe."  
  
The dichotomy of what he was and what he would have been without his future memories hung before Gabriel.  
  
"I'm not sure I deserve it, but thanks."

 

* * *

Chapter 33

* * *

 

After a very hearty breakfast, Jack and Gabriel got cleaned up and dressed in their matching sweaters. Gabriel thought the griffin looked very handsome in his, absolutely kiss-worthy. Turns out Jack had the same thought about the fledgling Reaper. It was a pleasant minute or two before they separated and prepared to teleport.  
  
"Fuck," Gabriel exclaimed suddenly, letting the shadow tendril dissipate.  
  
Jack frowned. "Something wrong?"  
  
"Your parents are bound to smell something _off_ about me. What do we tell them?"  
  
The future memories were no good here; he'd spent the day half miserable and half furious, trying to keep the Reaper quiet and terrified of what would happen if one of Jack's relatives figured out he _was_ the Reaper.  
  
"You're the recipient of someone else's magic," Jack said finally. "Someone really bad. Who had their magic stripped for the good of the world. We're working on a way to track them down and deal with them, but until then, you've been saddled with it."  
  
Damn, that was creepily accurate. Gabriel shuddered. "That works, I guess. Let's get this over with."  
  
Jack hugged him tightly. "Relax, Gabe. You'll do fine. If anything happens and you can't teleport us out, get outside and follow the stream west to a clearing. I'll come and find you."  
  
Gabriel drew in and released several deep breaths. Still in Jack's embrace, he pulled a shadow tendril up and wrapped it around them both. Then he focused on the porch he'd teleported to once before and _reached_.  
  
Coldness, dislocation, the sensation of falling in all directions, the wooden porch with black smoke coalescing into their bodies. Gabriel sighed in relief.  
  
"Let me go in and break it to them gently," Jack murmured. "Give you time for the Reaper to cool off a little."  
  
Reluctantly, Gabriel let go of the griffin and nodded. "I'll be here."  
  
He moved over to the side, out of sight, and leaned against the porch rail while Jack knocked on the door. Just in case, he closed his eyes and opened his Sight. Jack at the door, Mother in the kitchen, father upstairs, and there was the not-cat. He could sense the greyness of humanity on her, under the fur and whiskers.  
  
The door opened.  
  
"Hey, Ma!"  
  
"Jackie! Oh, it's good to see you. We were getting a bit worried - you didn't tell us if you were coming or not-"  
  
"Sorry about that, something came up-"  
  
"Come in, come in! Don't be a stranger! No one's here yet..."  
  
"Hold on, Ma. I brought a guest."  
  
"Oh, is it that Lena girl?"  
  
"No...he's-"  
  
"He? Oh, Jackie..." She sounded disappointed.  
  
"Ma..."  
  
"Jackie, you know I'm open-minded about this kind of thing, but your father-"  
  
"I _know_ ," Jack sighed.  
  
"Well," Jack's mother said, resigned, "bring him inside. It's cold out, and your father got a good fire going."  
  
Her footsteps retreated; Jack's approached. Gabriel closed his Sight and opened his eyes. Jack looked wound up and on edge.  
  
"How are my eyes?" Gabriel murmured.  
  
"Red-brown. Good. I'm sorry, Gabe."  
  
Gabriel leaned forward and brushed his cheek against Jack's shoulder. "Lead the way, my protector."  
  
A moment of lipping at Gabriel's hair, and Jack led him inside. The not-cat came to investigate, and he offered her his hand, but she sniffed once and walked away. The hoard was as impressive as he'd remembered, and Gabriel clasped his hands behind his back while he stood in polite awe. Jack's startled look made him smile.  
  
"I _told_ you I knew enough to not touch a griffin's hoard."  
  
Jack chuckled. "I'd forgotten about that."  
  
"Jackie!" called Jack's mother from the kitchen. "I can hear you and your friend talking in there. Come in and introduce him to your old mother!"  
  
Remembering what Jack had said, Gabriel followed behind his mate - holy fuck, Jack was really his mate - as he led the way into the kitchen. His mom was just as domestic and matronly as he remembered, wearing a festive sweater, and he smiled at her as she turned to examine him.  
  
"Your friend has an interesting scent, Jack," she said in a _we need to talk_ sort of way as she turned back to the pot on the stove. "Jack, why don't you go talk to your father?"  
  
It wasn't a request.  
  
Jack braced himself. "Ma, this is Gabriel. Gabe, my mother, Mary. I'll go talk to Pa."  
  
"There's a chair or two further in, Gabriel," Mary said as Jack left the kitchen. "Come sit down." As he passed, she said in a low voice, "Jack's _told_ you, correct?"  
  
"I met him in his natural form," Gabriel assured her as he sat gingerly on a wicker chair.  
  
That earned him a relieved smile. "Oh, good. I was worried that Jack had brought a human here and not told him...he's such an awkward boy sometimes, I wasn't sure if he'd even broach the subject with you."  
  
"I've met a number of transhumans. You have a lovely hoard, by the way. I've never seen anyone's except Jack's, and of course his is guns. I was awestruck to see yours."  
  
"Oh, aren't you a nice boy?" Mary purred, flushing slightly. "Are you involved in Overwatch?"  
  
Gabriel started. "Me? No, ma'am."  
  
She turned to look intently at him. "Oh. I thought you might have been, because your scent is similar to that woman who replaced Jackie when he stepped down. Pardon me for saying it, but you both smell like death."  
  
Liao. Well, that was confirmation that she was identifiable as a former Mantle, but it made Gabriel's pulse race.  
  
"I never asked her about it. Assumed it was a human thing. We meet so few humans out here, you know."  
  
"I'm not involved with Overwatch," Gabriel said slowly, "but Liao did recruit me for something else. I would guess I'm following in her footsteps in another way, and that's why we smell similar."  
  
"You also smell like my son," Mary said in a tone that invited explanation. When he blushed, she smiled softly. "My husband isn't going to be happy about Jack taking a human male as his mate, but if he asks you to fight, don't take him up on it. Just stay quiet until I sort him out."  
  
Two sets of footsteps on the stairs made them both glance up.  
  
"Here he comes," Mary sighed, stirring her pot. "Don't say anything unless he asks you a direct question, dear. He always was an aggressive male. Attractive when you're a young woman in a small pride, but not exactly the best for domestic life."  
  
Oh geez. And with Jack being lion-headed...he had to have had a rough upbringing. Gabriel resolved to swallow his pride and be as blatantly submissive as possible around Jack's dad. As they stepped into the kitchen, John with Jack following, Gabriel kept his eyes on the floor.  
  
"This him, then?" John Morrison growled. Silence answered him. "He smells terrible. Ill omen."  
  
"I told you, Pa, that's the stolen magic he's holding until we can figure out how to neutralize its owner."  
  
"Is that why he's got red eyes?"  
  
"His eyes are brown, it's just the magic that makes them red. He's a good man, Pa. He volunteered to take the magic before it killed the previous holder."  
  
"Hmph." It was the sort of sound someone would make when they didn't want to seem weak, but they'd had all their arguments countered. "Mary, how's dinner coming?"  
  
"The lamb still has a while yet, dear." A sound Gabriel assumed was the spoon being tapped against the edge of the pan. "Louise and her kids are going to arrive next, John, I can feel it. Why don't you wait by the front door and greet them?"  
  
The older man grumbled, but lumbered off.  
  
Mary sighed. "You can raise your eyes now, dear."  
  
Gabriel lifted his head to see Jack leaning uncomfortably against one wall and Mary giving him a piercing look.  
  
"Now. Who wants to tell me the truth?"  
  
Jack shot Gabriel a look that said _keep your mouth shut_. "This stays between us, Ma."  
  
He crossed the kitchen and whispered into his mother's ear.  
  
"Oh my stars..." she looked at Gabriel in shock. " _Him?_ _"_  
  
"As of last week."  
  
"But you said he was holding stolen magic."  
  
"I am," Gabriel said quietly. "That's what it started out as."  
  
Mary didn't look reassured.  
  
"I don't want to hurt anyone," Gabriel continued, hands clenched in his lap. "If it starts to get...agitated...I'll leave."  
  
"And you made him your mate?"  
  
Jack flushed. "He's a good man, Ma. He's not a killer, and he's working hard to keep it under control. He knew what he was volunteering for, but he did it because it's better to have a good man holding that than to pass it to someone who would _use_ that power."  
  
Mary's uneasiness was wavering. "He can stay," she said almost reluctantly, "but don't mention this to your father and keep him on a short leash."  
  
When Jack crossed over to where Gabriel was sitting, he reached out and pulled the griffin's arm close enough to nuzzle. That little gesture dissolved the last of Mary's uneasiness.  
  
"Oh, heavens," she sighed. "You _are_ mates. Well, hopefully that placates your father a bit, although you _know_ he's always wanted grandbabies."  
  
"Can't help the way I was born, Ma," Jack apologized softly.  
  
Mary left the stove long enough to hug him. "I know, Jackie. Just tell me you're happy."  
  
"As weird as it may sound, I _am_ happy."  
  
"Good. Now go sit in the living room, Louise and her brood will be arriving any second."

 

* * *

Still Chapter 33

* * *

 

While they waited - Jack on a chair, Gabriel on a cushion on the floor, leaning against Jack's leg - he told Gabriel about Molly the not-cat, and how a god or djinn had ripped out her magic and left her immortal until she got it back. Louise and her brood were indeed first to arrive, and Audrey squealed her childish approval when Jack informed her that the human was his mate. It was actually kind of relaxing to just sit there, hugging Jack's leg while a trickle of relatives came over to greet him.  
  
'This is my mate, Gabriel' got a few different responses - praise for his appearance and/or docility, congratulations for Jack and compliments on how happy he looked, surprise that Gabriel was human, and occasionally a comment about his eyes or scent. No one spoke directly to him, which was less irking than Gabriel thought it would be. Possibly because him playing the part of Jack's arm candy got Jack more respect from his relatives, but also because Jack kept letting his hand rest on Gabriel's head, his fingers caressing Gabriel's hair.  
  
Jack's great-grandmother was _tiny_ , brilliant yellow eyes startling in her wrinkled face. She let herself get settled onto one end of the couch, where she mostly napped but occasionally looked around with her sharp eyes. The family was unnervingly muscular, which only made sense because they were griffins, but the part of him that was experiencing this for the first time still felt like a mouse in a room full of cats. He forced himself to relax, closing his eyes in case they were glowing, and focused on how _safe_ he felt sleeping cuddled up to Jack's feathered bulk.  
  
"He's not used to being around so many griffins," Jack told someone about an hour or two in.  
  
"Well, he's _very_ well-behaved," whoever-it-was replied. "Do you think he'd be more comfortable with the children?"  
  
That's how Gabriel wound up telling cop stories to griffin children while Jack watched from the doorway, attentive male hovering protectively around his mate. After that, he followed Jack like a living shadow as he circulated and socialized, making the occasional comment when directly addressed but more often resting his forehead against Jack's shoulder because this was going on five hours of scarily-muscular people he didn't know treating him like a social ornament.  
  
Jack reclaimed the cushion Gabriel'd been sitting on and set it by the arm of the couch, where his great-grandmother was napping. "I'm going to have to help set the table, but stay here and no one will bother you. Okay?"  
  
Gabriel nodded, feeling as wound up and tense as Jack had looked when they'd first arrived. "Yeah. Thanks, Jack."  
  
The gentle kiss Jack gave him felt like the sweet song of freedom, a promise, a taste of things to come. All he had to do was make it through the evening.  
  
"You're doing great, Gabe," Jack murmured as he held his mate to his chest. "Just hang on a little longer. Dinner will be done pretty soon."  
  
Gabriel nodded and sat on 'his' cushion, leaning against the arm of the couch the way he'd leaned against Jack's leg, watching through his eyelashes as Jack got pulled into a knot of male relatives. Whether it was not wanting to anger Jack by messing with his mate or respect for the ancient griffin matriarch, no one came near them and Gabriel started to relax again. He even managed to nap a little.  
  
Jack shouting his name woke him.  
  
"Gabriel! Come over here and sit!"  
  
Limping a little from his stiff legs, Gabriel followed Jack's voice into the dining room and obediently sat where he was directed. At least he hadn't been relegated to the kiddie table. He and Jack were still near the head of the table, where Jack's great-grandmother was hobbling over to take her rightful seat. Everyone else settled down in their places and turned expectantly to her. Burning yellow eyes swept the table, meeting his with a slight shock and pausing, crinkling just a bit before moving on. She knew what he was, but...didn't seem offended or worried. He mulled that over while she gave the blessing, while everyone bowed their heads to pray, and while permission was given for everyone to serve themselves.  
  
"I'll get it for you," Jack murmured.  
  
"But shouldn't I get it for you?" Gabriel murmured back.  
  
"Not in front of family. What do you want?"  
  
"Lamb, stuffing, potatoes, whatever else you think I should try. No wine," he added as he remembered how well _that_ went last time.  
  
The food was good. The juice he was given instead of wine was good. The conversations around him were...enlightening. Eventually, Stephen opened his big mouth and made a comment about Gabriel's silence.  
  
"I don't think your mate's said anything the whole afternoon."  
  
"You didn't say anything to him," Jack countered.  
  
Stephen turned to him with a patronizing smile. "It's alright. Jack's the most ferocious griffin on this side of the Mississippi. He's good to have as a protector. Of course, I live on the other side and he really doesn't hold a candle..."  
  
"We'll see after dinner," Jack teased.  
  
Gabriel remembered the way the fights went and _smiled_. "Bet you get your tail handed to you _long_ before you face my mate," he said in a smug challenge.  
  
Melody, Stephen's wife, laughed. "He's certainly handsome, Jack. Did you have to convince him, or did he let you lead without a fight?"  
  
"Literally swooped in and carried him off," Jack bragged. "He seemed more than willing to be abducted from the she-harpy who was abducting him."  
  
"My hero," Gabriel murmured, making Jack's cheeks color as he realized the fledgling Reaper was being serious.  
  
Stephen hummed thoughtfully. "I think he's a little too... _virile_...for my tastes, but I guess you'd get bored with a submissive man."  
  
"Jack needs a challenge," Melody cut in gleefully. "Dominating a small, submissive human wouldn't be enough."  
  
Gabriel let his smile turn into a smirk. "What makes you think he _had_ to dominate me?" he asked. "After he carried me off and I spent the night in his hoard, I didn't _want_ to fight."  
  
"Now _that's_ a man," Melody purred. Her accompanying sound of knowing appreciation made both Stephen and Jack's cheeks turn red. Stephen's with jealousy or maybe slighted ego, Jack's with embarrassment for the misunderstanding Gabriel had just caused. "When did you become mates? It must've been in the last year, or you would've shown him off last Christmas."  
  
Jack nearly choked, leaving Gabriel free to _smile_ again.  
  
"Oh, it didn't take long for me to realize Jack's the only one I want to share a bed with."  
  
To drive the point home, he turned and nuzzled Jack's shoulder to Melody's delighted laughter and Stephen's low growl.  
  
The rest of dinner went smoothly, with Stephen refraining from making comments and Melody sharing amused grins and eye-rolls at her husband. Gabriel let Jack serve him seconds and ate until he felt like he could be rolled out of the room. At some signal he missed, everyone left the table and filtered into the front yard. The children sat on the steps, and Gabriel followed Jack off to the corner, where he leaned against the railing and watched the crowd form a ring around the circle drawn in the dirt. But then something he hadn't expected happened - John carried a wicker chair out and, blatantly ignoring Gabriel, set it on the porch next to him. Jack's great-grandmother hobbled out in his wake and settled on the chair like a queen on her throne.  
  
"Join the others, Jackie," she said in her oddly-accented voice. "I'll protect your mate."  
  
Jack gave him an uneasy look. "Yes, Grandma."  
  
Gabriel grabbed Jack's hand and nuzzled it briefly; Jack squeezed his hand reassuringly before joining the crowd of relatives. Gabriel watched the first fight - Stephen and Melody, with her kicking his furry butt easily - trying not to be nervous with the Morrison matriarch sitting right next to him.  
  
"You are the Reaper," the ancient griffin said quietly. "Don't bother trying to deny it, I've known three of your predecessors. One of them was my brother."  
  
Hands tight on the wooden railing, Gabriel squeezed his eyes shut and focused on taking deep breaths and calming his pulse.  
  
"How long...?"  
  
"A week," he answered in a low voice. "Maybe a little longer."  
  
"How?"  
  
"The Reaper encountered me three years ago and wanted me to be its next Mantle. I'm friends with the head of Overwatch, and she took it on herself to try to protect me. But eventually, it got desperate enough to risk it anyway."  
  
"And how are you liking it, being the Reaper?"  
  
Gabriel took a deep breath and looked down at his hands. "It's a messy job. It's not going to be fun. But it led to me meeting Jack, and I'm going to do my best to protect people."  
  
The griffin matriarch nodded and grinned at him. "Good, good. I know you are _not_ as submissive as you have been acting..." She trailed off, unspoken invitation or command for him to elaborate.  
  
"I did it for Jack," Gabriel answered quietly. "Once his dad is more resigned to his son having a human male for a mate, we'll drop the charade a bit. But for now..."  
  
"Good," crooned the ancient griffin. "You will be a good Reaper. You have a good heart and a good soul." She gave him a sly, sidelong look. "My brother said the Reaper was like an unruly child that does not know its own strength. Be gentle but firm, and do not let it have its way simply because it wants something. The more you give in to it, the less control you will have."  
  
Gabriel gave her a startled look. "That's good advice. Thank you."  
  
She looked smug, as though she would be puffing her feathers up if she had them. "You will be a good Reaper," she repeated. "Now, your mate takes his turn."  
  
Sure enough, it was Jack against Louise, who was also a lion-headed griffin. The fight was quick and brutal, but in the end Jack was victorious. He changed back to human as he approached the porch, strutting the last few feet to sweep Gabriel into his arms and pin him against the side of the house, their kiss equal parts celebration of his win and reward for Gabriel's patience.  
  
"Jack, celebrate your victory with your family!" Stephen sounded only _slightly_ put out by having lost so spectacularly. "Your mate can wait!"  
  
"Are you having Melody wait outside?" Jack called back, still possessively covering Gabriel's body with his own. "Because if not, then my mate is going to join the celebration the same as yours is."  
  
Gabriel felt his cheeks burn and buried his face in Jack's shoulder, the familiar tug of Jack's lips on his hair a comfort that made him feel weak in the knees.  
  
"Let's go have dessert," Jack murmured into his ear, and Gabriel did not resist as the victorious griffin tugged him into the house.

 

* * *

  
  
The table had been cleared at some point - Gabriel didn't remember when - and loaded with pies and assorted drinks. The crowd was cheerfully loud as they streamed in and swarmed the table, cutting slices and pouring drinks. Jack came out of the chaos with two forks and a dinner plate with slices of four different pies loaded onto it. Once everyone had secured dessert, someone - Gabriel wasn't sure who - started a round of 'three cheers for Jack' and after the third 'Hurrah!' the crowd dispersed to socialize some more.  
  
Jack claimed a loveseat for them, and Gabriel entertained himself by feeding Jack bites of pie since he was too full for more than a few bites, himself. But the bites he had room for, Jack fed him - much to Stephen's vocal disapproval.  
  
"It's nice that he's so well-behaved, Jack, but you don't have to hand-feed him." Stephen smirked. "You'll give him _ideas_."  
  
"Big words from a man whose wife kicked his ass," Gabriel shot back without thinking.  
  
"Gabe!"  
  
Jack's sharp tone made him flinch, and he buried his face in Jack's shoulder both to pretend to be apologetic and to hide that he was absolutely _not_ apologetic. Melody's laughter made him smirk, the expression hidden in Jack's fluffy blue sweater.  
  
" _Much_ too virile for your tastes," Jack said in a tone that was somehow lofty and apologetic at the same time. "I admit, he's a handful sometimes, but nothing I can't handle. I doubt you'd be able to keep him under control at all."  
  
"Yeah," Gabriel murmured into Jack's shoulder, "he can't even beat his wife in a fight. Your mom beat your dad, too. I think the supportive mates in your family are more badass than the protective mates."  
  
Jack pretended to cough.  
  
"No wonder you're the family champion," Gabriel teased warmly, voice still pitched too low for anyone else to hear.  
  
He got mock-preened for that.  
  
"You want any more of this pie?" Jack asked quietly.  
  
"Nah, too full. Kinda tired, actually. Food coma sounds like a good idea."  
  
"We can go home," Jack offered. "It's just going to be more talking, only with people getting progressively more drunk because Mark spikes the eggnog _hard_."  
  
"That sounds like our cue to leave, then."  
  
"Alright. We just have to say goodbye to Grandma and my parents."  
  
Swallowing a reluctant groan, Gabriel stood up and stretched. The Morrison matriarch was back on the couch, and Gabriel watched awkwardly as Jack leaned over to hug her and let her run fingers through his hair. Then, to his surprise, she beckoned him to do the same.  
  
"Take care of him, Reaper," she murmured into his ear as he hugged her. Then she ran her fingers through his hair in what was undeniably a gesture of benediction.  
  
John was holding court with some of the male relatives. Gabriel hovered by the door, eyes downcast, while Jack made their goodbyes. Mary was supervising the clean-up in the kitchen, and she hugged them both warmly. That surprised Gabriel, but he figured she'd been hitting the eggnog and didn't remember he was the Reaper.  
  
Then they were outside, in the crisp quiet night air, holding hands and smiling at each other.  
  
"You know," Jack said, "it's still early evening on the west coast. We don't have to go back to the mansion just yet. We could go to my hoard. Food coma together."  
  
"Good idea." Gabriel summoned a shadow tendril, pulled up the image of Jack's ravine, and _reached_.  
  
The rest of the evening was spent in a pleasantly warm and feathered cuddlepile.


	4. Make New Friends, Piss Off The Old

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel has several important conversations. Some feathers get ruffled, some ruffled feathers get smoothed, and plans get made. Then he goes shopping.

* * *

Chapter 34a

* * *

 

Waking up to being cuddled by a griffin, Gabriel thought sleepily, had to be one of life's greatest pleasures.  
  
"Morning, Jack," he murmured. Then he smiled. "I love you."  
  
The warm bulk he was leaning against stiffened, then relaxed with a low rumbling vibration.  
  
"You love me, too?"  
  
The purring got louder. Gabriel reached up and scratched the griffin behind one leonine ear.  
  
"I suppose we should go back. Breakfast's better at the mansion than at your hoard."  
  
Jack made a grumbly, whiny sort of noise.  
  
"Hey, if you _want_ squirrel for breakfast, you're more than welcome to go hunting."  
  
The griffin shank back down to human. "That's not it," he grumbled, nuzzling Gabriel's neck. "I don't want to have to move."  
  
"We can cuddle a bit longer... _champion_."  
  
He got a nip on the back of his neck for that. He wasn't sure if that was a protest at being teased, or a come-on.  
  
"It was neat, watching you fight," he said softly. "You're really good." Gabriel snorted. "Unlike Stephen. And if anything ever threatened Louise's cubs, I'd be more afraid of _her_ than her husband."  
  
Jack chuckled at that. "I hate to say it, but you have a point about protectors versus supporters. Now that you've met my father..."  
  
Gabriel rolled over to hug Jack to his sweater-covered chest. "No wonder you got into so many fights." He held his mate in silence for a minute before saying quietly, "Your great-grandmother knows I'm the Reaper."  
  
"She does?"  
  
"Said she knew three of my predecessors, including her brother. Gave me some advice. Told me to protect you."  
  
Jack relaxed in his arms. "I'll trust you to protect me, as long as you trust me to protect you."  
  
Part of Gabriel hated how soft and emotional that made him feel. He shoved that part aside and dipped his head to lip at Jack's hair. "Deal," he murmured.  
  
"Mm." Jack raised his head to kiss his mate. "Breakfast?"

 

* * *

  
  
The harpies weren't at breakfast. When they finally straggled down for lunch, they looked distinctly worse for the wear.  
  
"Celebrated a bit too much?" Gabriel asked with false innocence. He got two glares for his comment. "Good talk. I'm going to go practice my Reaper powers. Have a good lunch."  
  
He spent that afternoon mastering the art of teleporting his right hand, to Jack's squeamish amusement. He found that with a bit of effort, he could keep the weird pre-arrival teleportation omniscience focused on his hand and actually _see_ where it was. Then, a whimsical comment about his hand scuttling about on its own led to them cuddling in bed, watching both Addams Family movies as a reward for having mastered a Reaper power. He may have taken advantage of Jack's attention being focused on the movie to teleport his hand elsewhere in the mansion and make it run around, hoping to find one of the harpies. He did not, which he realized belatedly was _probably_ a good thing. Especially considering the wicked heels Amélie liked wearing.  
  
The week progressed roughly the same as the week before had, with the exceptions of more kisses and Gabriel integrating Reaper powers into his sparring matches with Jack. He experimented briefly with throwing teleporting punches, but they lacked the power to really make them effective. It was like tossing his fisted hand at Jack, and while it was useful as a distraction tactic, that was about it. Somewhere in the middle of the week, he called Ana and they chatted about their Christmases. She raised the possibility of Jack and Gabriel visiting for New Year's, an idea Jack liked a lot, so the next morning Gabriel brought it up with Angela.  
  
Angela, somewhat unsurprisingly, was not keen on going back to Ana's after having been effectively caught kidnapping Gabriel to deliver him to the Reaper. But as reluctant as she was, it was nothing compared to the amount of NOPE she had at the concept of Amélie getting within 200 yards of Ana. In the end, the harpy agreed to celebrate alone with her lover (again) while Jack and Gabriel socialized with their friends.  
  
It was a lot more fun than Christmas with the Morrisons, as far as Gabriel was concerned. Fewer people, all of which knew he was the Reaper and weren't treating him like a living trophy of Jack's. Since they planned to stay the night anyway, he allowed himself a couple of drinks. Someone gave Jamison a thimble full of wine, and he spent half of the night holding a glowing berry of some kind to his rear and flying unsteadily around claiming he was a firefly. Reinhardt got startled by Gabriel's teleporting hand trick when he used it to steal snacks off of the half-giant's plate, but then he thought it was hilarious and Gabriel wound up showing off _all_ his Reaper tricks.  
  
Ana was nearly in tears of joy at seeing her old friend Jack again, and Jack was nearly in tears at seeing Fareeha again. Gabriel and Hanzo had a slightly-tipsy but satisfactory talk about sexuality and what it was like being in a committed relationship wherein neither party had any desire to get their genitals involved. As a vampire, Hanzo found asexuality fascinating. He was also relieved to hear that Genji and Zenyatta had resumed their old relationship. Jesse and Reinhardt challenged Jack to wrestling matches - individually, and as a team - which led to the hilarious spectacle of the half-giant carrying a griffin on his back while the werewolf balanced on Jack's furry shoulders.  
  
Hanzo was initially enraged to discover that Angela had, indeed, been deceiving them for years, and that she'd drugged and kidnapped Gabriel. It took several minutes of heated argument before he conceded that having a good man as the Reaper was better for everyone, and that although Angela's actions had been underhanded, the ends justified the means on that front. Ana and Fareeha were less inclined to forgive on the grounds of her betraying Overwatch, which Gabriel didn't even try to defend because he agreed that was a really shitty thing to do. Given that whole situation, though, Ana offered Jack and Gabriel the use of Angela's room for the night.  
  
The party broke up shortly after midnight, with the variously-inebriated couples sharing a collective New Year's kiss at midnight and Fareeha laughing quietly at the sulking pixie in her hands complaining drunkenly about his boyfriend not being there. Jack and Gabriel followed Hanzo and Jesse up the stairs, bidding them goodnight before curling up somewhat guiltily in Angela's nestlike bed.  
  
"Gabe?" Jack murmured after several comfortably quiet minutes. "You awake?"  
  
"I am now," he grumbled.  
  
"I wanna ask you something. I think," he added.  
  
That was confusing enough that Gabriel rolled over to face his mate in the dark. "Jack?"  
  
"You said the Reaper started out as someone's stolen magic," Jack began slowly.  
  
Gabriel's pulse was suddenly very loud in his ears.  
  
"I never could figure out what Liao was. She had a scent I'd never smelled before. But I smelled it on Amélie, and after you became the Mantle, I smelled it on you."  
  
_Fuck_ , Gabriel thought eloquently.  
  
"How did Amélie survive giving you the Reaper?"  
  
"Angela resurrected her," Gabriel whispered. "She can do that, if someone dies by their own hand or hers."  
  
"Then..." Jack trembled slightly. "How did Liao survive?"  
  
Fuck, fuck, fuck. He had no excuse for knowing this, not yet. Wait - maybe Mondatta? Mondatta would own up to it eventually anyway.  
  
"You're a history buff, right, Jack?"  
  
"Yeah...?"  
  
"How did the Construct War end?"  
  
Jack pulled him closer as he thought. "No one really knows," he said finally. "Just one day the fighting stopped and the constructs retreated."  
  
"That..." Gabriel swallowed. "That was the day a dying djinn ripped the magic out of Liao, the magic that had made her a living anti-construct weapon. She was calling herself the Reaper."  
  
The arms around Gabriel went slack, then tightened as the griffin struggled to process that information. Gabriel reached awkwardly up with one hand to stroke Jack's hair, trying to give his mate some comfort as his view of the world warped and twisted into something ominous and horrifying.  
  
It was a long time before either of them fell asleep.

 

* * *

The real Chapter 34

* * *

 

Neither of them mentioned to anyone else what they'd learned. They had a quiet breakfast with the others and then teleported back to the Reaper's mansion, where they had a more hearty breakfast. Neither harpy asked about their New Year's, and Gabriel threw himself into the final two weeks of his grace period wholeheartedly. Or, at least, he _tried_ to. His body decided to spend a week and a half trying to reject the Reaper again, resulting in bouts of coughing up bloody chunks, or vomiting black goo, or tele-sneezing, or the horrific day he spent unable to fully coalesce no matter how hard he concentrated. Angela was particularly fascinated by him being partially smoke, and it did result in him being able to 'block' an attack by dimply dissolving into smoke at the site of impact, but it was a thoroughly uncomfortable day.  
  
The days were mostly rainy, but he and Jack went out into the forest several times anyway. Some trips, Gabriel teleported them to Jack's hoard and they cuddled in his nest, watching the rain fall. When the weather was too nasty to go out, or Gabriel was suffering from Reaper-sickness and needed distraction, they bundled up in bed and spent hours on end watching various old TV shows. They chatted with Ana, or the various people living in her house, every few days. Gabriel spent many quiet hours 'talking' to the Reaper: thinking things over, weighing emotional responses and reasoning with them. It _was_ like a child, or maybe a dog, and it felt things _very_ strongly but with enough patience Gabriel could make it understand what was going on. He was getting better at communing with the Reaper, he thought. He could tap the Reaper's strength and agility almost at will, even for sparring with Jack and sometimes, gained it without even asking when they play-fought together. He guessed the Reaper had been dreadfully lonely and bored, but now that it had someone to explain things and someone to play with, it was learning to behave better.  
  
Halfway through January, Angela declared his body had stopped fighting. He was a fully-fledged Reaper, she announced, and a more formidable one than she had expected him to be when the Reaper had made its choice clear. He could go anywhere he chose, even if that was 'far away from the mansion and never coming back', and she seemed pleasantly surprised when he declared his intent to stay there. Amélie was less pleased by this, but the reminder that the Reaper had chosen Gabriel and despised her still rankled.  
  
Gabriel paid close attention as he opened the door to the Reaper's quarters, which Amélie had never used and which were still untouched from ten years ago when the harpies had murdered the previous Reaper. He thought he detected a flicker of intent from the Reaper just before the featureless door opened, and hid a smirk at the thought that maybe Amélie had never used it because the Reaper had never unlocked the door for her. Amélie still threw the verbal hissy fit Gabriel remembered, trying to convince him or Jack or both that Jack was not allowed in the room. It didn’t work.  
  
The room was just as impressive as he remembered, and something in him relaxed at the sight. He couldn't tell if it was him, leaning on memories of having lived here, or the Reaper. The dead guy was still on the bed, and Gabriel announced that he wanted the bed removed and a new one brought in, big enough for Jack to sleep on in griffin form. Then he changed his mind and declared that he wanted a new bed _designed_ so that Jack could sleep comfortably on it in griffin form if he chose, with a soft bit for a human to sleep on, and a regular king bed for when they were both human. He almost let Angela loose on the books and assorted ingredients - after all, they were pretty much useless to him - but kept his mouth shut at the last second. Ana was an alchemist, too, and he did kind of want to have her visit.  
  
It took a little over a week to get the beds settled and the room cleaned enough that he and Jack felt comfortable sleeping there. The first night was...unnerving, with him and Jack both being on edge, thinking they saw things in the shadows. But then Gabriel called on the Reaper to feel the room out with shadow tendrils, and discovered they were already there. _That's_ what they had been seeing.  
  
"At least it's quiet," Jack sighed. "And doesn't stick sharp little claws in your leg when it stretches."  
  
Now that he was the Reaper, free to do whatever he wanted, he assured Angela and Amélie that they were more than welcome to stay. Invaluable resources, he called them, pointing out that his body having adjusted to the Reaper's presence did not mean he actually knew everything about _being_ the Reaper. He did discuss finances with them, though, and although he was really _not_ familiar with supernatural pay rates, Jack _was_ and they had advisor's salaries hammered out in fairly short order. He also had access to the Reaper's bank accounts, both mundane and supernatural, which he thought was an improvement over the way things went in his future memories. Belatedly, he remembered his keys and wallet and spent an afternoon catching up with Lucio and inventing a story about being kidnapped and then working for the kidnappers because they paid really well so he was going to pay last month's rent and move all his stuff out. Or, at least, the stuff he cared about. The next hour was spent teleporting from his apartment to his Reaper quarters, shadow tendrils wrapped around various possessions.  
  
According to his direct deposit history, Liao had put him on paid leave until his vacation days ran out, then on suspension without pay. He debated cleaning the account out and putting his money in another one, but figured that would look too suspicious. He did go to his favorite pizza place and order three large pies to go: one with his favorite toppings, a meat lover's for Jack, and a chicken supreme for Angela and Amélie. Then he teleported one last time and spent the evening on his couch, binging on pizza and Netflix with Jack.  
  
Two days after he'd cleaned out his apartment, Liao started calling Gabriel's phone. He didn't pick up, and he didn't listen to the voicemails she left. Angela informed him that Overwatch had been notified of the case against them, and that they had two weeks to set a time and place to meet with the Reaper and present their side before formal mediation. She was still looking for someone willing to host _that_ meeting.  
  
Valentine's Day was fun. He and Jack went to Paris, where the griffin called in a favor from the owner of a ritzy little diner and they had a quiet, romantic lunch together. They wandered around a little after lunch, Gabriel half hoping to run into the pinstripe-suit vampire again, but he didn't show. After that he teleported them into the back of a theater showing _Hamilton_ , to Jack's delight. They shared a box of chocolates and a bottle of wine in Jack's hoard, watching the sunset bleed across the sky, Jack reverting to feathers and fur when it got chilly and Gabriel using his wing as a blanket.  
  
When they wandered back, late in the afternoon, Angela informed him that Overwatch had decided on a time and place for presenting their side, and that a date had been set for the formal mediation. April 25th he would be expected to make a decision, giving him just over two months to prepare himself for everything he knew already but wasn't telling anyone.

 

* * *

Chapter 35

* * *

 

The giant tree that overshadowed Amélie's training yard was actually really decent to sit in...assuming you could climb up it. Jack, of course, had no problem and Gabriel greatly enjoyed watching the play of his muscles as he did. The current Reaper had never climbed a tree in his life, but he was able to use a combination of shadow-whip-arms pulling and shadow tendrils lifting to brute-force his way up the tree like that. He and Jack sat in the tree, side by side, the silence heavy with the knowledge that they'd have to confront Liao sooner rather than later; she'd specified a location in Grand Park, and only three days away.  
  
"Do you think she knows it's you?" Jack asked quietly.  
  
Gabriel grimaced. "Probably. When I was tele-sneezing, I dropped in on someone I'm pretty sure was part of Overwatch and introduced myself so she and her giant, terrifyingly strong girlfriend didn't attack me before I sneezed away. I'm pretty sure she's put that together with the fact that the Reaper's wanted me for three years and come to the obvious conclusion that the Reaper got what it wanted."  
  
"Do you think she'll try to attack you?"  
  
"Probably not, actually." It wasn't as comforting as Gabriel wanted it to be. "She'll be sizing me up to see how much of a threat I am."  
  
Jack lipped at his hair. "So what's the plan? Double-team her, united front?"  
  
"I'm thinking sullen, angry, and isolated. She doesn't need to know the truth."  
  
"So I'm not going with you, then."  
  
Gabriel could hear the unhappy tone in Jack's voice. He leaned against the griffin. "I don't like it any more than you do, but I don't want her to know how important to me you are. I don't want her targeting you to get to me."  
  
Jack sighed into Gabriel's hair. "I can't argue with that."

 

* * *

  
  
The day before Gabriel's meeting with Liao, Angela summoned him and Jack to the front hall where Angela, Sombra, and Torbjörn were waiting and dressed for combat. Internally, he sighed. The bullshit with the golems. He waited in impatient silence as Angela went through the obviously fake story about three golems turning on their creator, nodded to acknowledge their weakness and that he'd talk with the dwarf later. They split into land and air teams, and he mounted Jack's griffin form to act as his eyes.  
  
He didn't say much, scouring the forest instead. On the one hand, he appreciated the opportunity to test himself in battle. On the other hand, he still thought this was a waste of time and wanted to get it over with as soon as possible.  
  
It was several minutes before he saw one of the golems, but he pointed Jack to it and down they dove. Gabriel flung himself into mist as Jack backwinged, and re-formed with both his arms as scythes. "Find water," he snapped.  
  
The griffin made an uncertain sound, but Gabriel whipped a scythe through the golem's legs, and he whuffled Gabriel's hair once before bounding off. The wounded golem clawed its way towards Gabriel, and he sliced off its arms, then its head. The glow of its enchantment dulled, and it fell apart.  
  
Running half on instinct and half on paranoia, Gabriel went to mist and felt the second golem's arm swipe through his substance. A roar in the distance - Jack! Had he found water? Was he hurt? Didn't matter. Gabriel shot along the ground as a stream of black smoke, feeling more than hearing the golem chase him.  
  
"Ruh!"  
  
Okay. That didn't sound injured. Good. Gabriel shot across - okay, that was the stream - and re-formed next to the griffin. The other two golems crashed out of the undergrowth and one of them plowed helpfully into the water. Shadow tendrils leaped up at Gabriel's command, pulling the thing down and extinguishing it. The last golem hesitated, and Gabriel flipped it off.  
  
"Come and get some, assface," he snarled, making a 'bring it' gesture with one hand while waving Jack away with the other.  
  
The golem fucking _picked up pieces of the other golem_ and started chucking them at Gabriel. He went to mist and scooted to the side, re-formed and tied the thing's legs together with a shadow tendril. Jack slammed into it from behind, knocking it off balance, and Gabriel wrapped both whip arms around its head, slamming it violently into the water.  
  
The enchantments went out.  
  
"Jack, you okay?"  
  
The griffin bounded up and licked his hair. He allowed himself a moment to bury his face in that silky mane, remembering the bloom of dark red on white fur.  
  
"Excellently done, Gabriel!" Angela exclaimed from behind him.  
  
Jack shrunk back to human as the other three came out of hiding, arms protectively around Gabriel. "The hell?"  
  
"It was a test," Gabriel said shortly.  
  
"Yes! And you passed with flying colors!" Angela beamed proudly.  
  
Jack...growled. Actual growling. Under the circumstances, it was kind of...endearing.  
  
Amélie crossed her arms. "We knew you would not fight as hard if you were aware that it was a training exercise."  
  
"Joke's on you, then," Gabriel said shortly, "because it was _painfully_ obvious that the story about golems going rogue was fake."  
  
Sombra snickered.  
  
"So now that we've passed your little test, Torbjörn, what did you want to talk to me about?" Gabriel asked, knowing full well what it was.  
  
The dwarf grunted. "Come down to my workshop and I'll tell you. I'll send a golem to guide you," he added before Gabriel could ask.  
  
"Fine," Gabriel sighed, leaning into Jack's embrace. "Race you back."  
  
The trendril wrapped around Jack; Gabriel _reached_ and they were gone.

 

* * *

Chapter 36

* * *

 

"You okay?" Jack asked when the reappeared. "You seem...unhappy."  
  
"You mean I'm pissed and I'm making you nervous," Gabriel corrected dryly.  
  
The griffin hugged him tighter. "Not nervous for me, but I half expected you to attack Amélie."  
  
Gabriel sighed and tried to relax. "I hate surprises. I hate being kept in the dark or talked down to. I _especially_ hate having surprise _we don't believe you can really kick someone's ass_ tests passed off as emergencies sprung on me the day before I'm meeting with someone I _thought_ was my friend but is really going to kill me if I give her half a chance."  
  
"I can't blame you there," Jack said softly. "You were amazing, though. How do you feel?"  
  
"Well, the Reaper's happy. It was created to destroy constructs, so this was like taking a bird dog to the lake and letting it chase ducks. I'm a little hungry."  
  
Jack nuzzled his hair. "Then let's go get you something to eat."  
  
Gabriel was in the dining room with Jack, snacking on little pretzel-wrapped franks with hot mustard for dipping, when a golem trundled in and chirped apologetically at him.  
  
"Torbjörn wants to see you, and only you," Jack translated.  
  
"Of course he does." He leaned over to give Jack a quick kiss. "No idea how long this is going to take."  
  
"No worries, Gabe. I'll just start watching season three without you."  
  
Laughing, Gabriel kissed him again and then followed the golem out of the room.  
  
They stopped in front of an iron door Gabriel had never seen, but remembered seeing once before. The golem knocked in a specific rhythm, the doors groaned as they opened, and there was Torbjörn, who greeted him brusquely and led him into the circular stone room with the forge and the golems-in-progress. He gave most of it a cursory glance, but did take a good look at the photographs on the desk. Torbjörn's wife and kids, the dwarf himself with the bright red fish, and Reinhardt.  
  
The dwarf handed him an empty glass and ordered him to spit it in it. He complied, wondering what it was about alchemy that required human saliva and at the same time, being grateful it wasn't blood or semen or something more disgusting. Torbjörn seemed slightly mollified by the fact that Gabriel wasn't giving him lip, but honestly he just wanted to get this _over_ with and get back to brooding about his meeting with Liao.  
  
"Do you know why I'm here?"  
  
Guess he wasn't going to be that lucky.  
  
"I'm going to guess that whatever the reason, it's important enough to you that you're here instead of with your wife and kids." Gabriel nodded at the photographs.  
  
Torbjörn grunted. "Perceptive. But you're right. I'm here because the djinn are not to be trusted. I was a part of Overwatch," he said, watching Gabriel intently. "I've known Liao longer than Jack. I got closer to her. I know what she's thinking, and I know why she's thinking it."  
  
Oh, fuck. How much _did_ Torbjörn know?  
  
"I've seen what she has. And once you see it...you'll know what choice you have to make."  
  
So he'd probably used that alchemy recipe on himself. But he'd probably _not_ wound up in Ojal's memories. Which means he was probably in Liao's. Fuck, no wonder he was so rabidly anti-construct.  
  
Gabriel _knew_ he should just keep his mouth shut and drink the damn potion, but he still found himself saying, "My job is to hear _both_ sides before making a decision."  
  
"I let my children grow up without a father because I _knew_ Liao and those Shambali were going to take this to the Reaper, and I wanted to be there for it. So here I am. The whole reason I'm here." He turned to the desk, mixing things into the glass, and then swung back around to shove it at Gabriel. "This. Drink it."  
  
Finally. Gabriel grabbed the glass and downed the muddy mauve potion in one swallow, remembering at the last second to _sit_ before he passed out.  
  
_Here we go..._

 

* * *

Chapter 37

* * *

 

It was still _weird_ being Ojal, the familiarity of remembering these events offset by the bizarreness of remembering them while experiencing them. It acted like an insulator, letting him keep his mind and his thoughts separate from the djinn's. This wasn't like the rest of his future-memories - this was the past, something immutable, events on rails he was helpless to do anything with but endure. Ojal's gaze lingered on her lover, and Gabriel was forced to look with her.  
  
The glint of metal among the stone of the atronach's body caught his attention, and something about the shape plucked at his memory. He'd seen that bit of ornamentation before, but not in that shape.  
  
As Ojal told futures to her troops, Gabriel screamed in silent horror. He remembered holding a twisted bit of metal, sharp enough to be a weapon, and plunging it into Liao's throat. That - that was a piece of -  
  
Gabriel held both metaphoric hands over his nonexistent mouth as the battle began. That fateful piece of metal, what Ojal would see killing Liao in so many futures, was a piece of her atronach fiancé’s body. Ironic. Fitting. And somewhat stomach-turning, now that he knew what it was.  
  
Choice or destiny. The gun or the shard. But he'd been shown all of this for a reason - was there a third way?  
  
"You can stop this," Liao said, startling both Gabriel and Ojal. _  
  
I know you._  
  
The thought resonated, but it did not originate with Gabriel. No, this was Ojal seeing the darkest future, the one she had tried so hard to ignore, suddenly raise its head and look at her with glowing red eyes.  
  
"You are the...the thing that has been cutting through our troops."  
  
"The Reaper," Liao said softly.  
  
Gabriel winced as Ojal and Liao argued briefly about seeing the woman's future, as the threat of final death was voiced. Then the djinn held out her hand and the Reaper clasped it, and Gabriel paid closer attention. Not to the visions of Liao's deaths, no - he focused _behind_ the visions, searching for a glimpse of the unknowable.  
  
_I see you_.  
  
The words resonated silently as a hand plunged the twisted metal repeatedly into Liao's throat. Gabriel licked his mental lips and gestured to the visions with a thought. Was there another way?  
  
The shard of metal used to cut Liao's throat, letting her bleed out in peace while she spent her final moments hating her murderer with every fiber of her being. Suddenly, he understood.  
  
That understanding gave him the strength to close his mental eyes and ears to the vision Jack's grief. _Not going to happen,_ he promised the griffin silently. _Not this time. I'll make sure of it._  
  
The visions ended, and Ojal recoiled. Gabriel watched as Liao scythed the djinn's legs off, voicing the reasons for her hatred, feeling nothing but pity for the thing that had once been a woman but was now a vessel of rage and vengeance, spreading just as much pain and grief as the djinn had. Yeah, he knew what had to be done. The trick was going to be making it happen. Dispassionately, he watched as Ojal prayed to the Iris, as the Reaper was torn free of its host. _I've got you now,_ he promised the entity. _I'll keep you safe. Just trust me.  
  
_ Gabriel heard as the Prophet - Mondatta - called an end to the Construct War, and promised Ojal privately that she would be reincarnated and play an integral role in the "true defeat" of the Reaper.  
  
As Ojal breathed her last, he could feel a spark of distant rage towards the one who had caused all this rage and pain, yet held himself aloof as if the blood were not on his hands...

 

* * *

  
  
His eyes shot open, heart pounding and lungs heaving. A golem was holding him down, and he was in Torbjörn's workshop.  
  
"You saw it?" the dwarf grunted. "If it worked, you should've seen the _massacre_ the djinn committed."  
  
"I saw more than enough," Gabriel assured him, feeling the Reaper's distant rage burn in his heart. "I know what I have to do."

 

* * *

Is this Chapter 38?

* * *

 

Gabriel was grateful, as he followed the golem back up to more familiar areas of the mansion, that he had the future memories to help him sort everything out because _fuck_ that had been confusing the first time. He was also grateful that his darkly emphatic declaration had convinced Torbjörn that he now shared the dwarf's anti-construct sentiments, because he was fairly sure his _actual_ decision wouldn't make _anyone_ happy. Jack took one look at him as he stepped back into his (their?) room and put the laptop aside.  
  
"You okay?" he asked quietly as he wrapped his arms around Gabriel, somewhat alarmed by the tired slump of the other man's body.  
  
"I drank a potion that put me in the mind of a djinn commander during the Construct War," Gabriel sighed. "The one who ended the war by separating the Reaper from Liao. Torbjörn's got a real hateboner for djinn," he added in attempts to not sound completely emotionally exhausted. "Probably second only to Liao's."  
  
Jack kissed his forehead. "Grab the laptop, Gabe. I can still watch TV shows with a lion's head, and you need cuddles."  
  
"I love you, Jack. Have I mentioned that?"  
  
"Maybe a few times," the griffin chuckled. "But it's okay, because I love you, too."  
  
They spent the evening in the griffin's nest-box, watching the second half of season three. When Gabriel started nodding off, Jack extended one paw and very carefully shut the laptop down before lowering his head and joining his mate in sleep.

 

* * *

  
  
Liao had specified the meeting would start at three in the afternoon. Fifteen minutes before that, Gabriel teleported close to the park and walked around, scoping the place out. He'd gone with a slightly-ratty tee and broken-in jeans over beat-up sneakers, attempting to cultivate an image of either needing the comfort of familiar clothes, mild neglect, or both. Cheap sunglasses bought from a convenience store hid his eyes. The sharp, distrustful looks he was getting as he slouched around finished the job of putting him on edge, and secretly, he was pretty pleased with the effect.  
  
Three sharp, he walked up to the base of the specified statue and leaned against it, hands in his pockets, looking (and feeling) like he'd rather be anywhere but there. Liao walked up seconds later, dark jeans and a maroon turtleneck sweater, brown leather boots that hugged her shins and two cardboard cups of coffee.  
  
"Your usual," she said casually, offering Gabriel one of the cups.  
  
He grimaced and took the sunglasses off, shoving them in his pocket. "I'm too wound up already, I don't need more caffeine."  
  
She shrugged and set it on the ground between them before leaning against the base of the statue and sipping hers.  
  
"So the Reaper finally got you, huh?" she asked, and damn it, that sounded like actual sympathy in her voice.  
  
Gabriel's stomach churned. "Yeah. Damn harpy drugged me and carried me off in the middle of the night." Remembering how things went in his future memories, he added, "I've got golems watching me day and night making sure I don't make a break for it, and every minute of my fucking day is accounted for. This is the first time I've been outside on my own in..." He trailed off, shaking his head. "It _sucks_."  
  
Liao reached out and squeezed his shoulder reassuringly, but he flinched at her touch. It was the Reaper, he realized. The Reaper was wound up tighter than a watch spring, and it was bleeding over to him.  
  
"I guess the djinn already made their pitch to you," she said. When he nodded, her eyes lit up. "Let's work together."  
  
Warily, he asked, "How so?"  
  
"You don't want the Reaper. I don't want the djinn's leader. We can make a deal. You give me the Reaper, I kill their leader and leave the rest of them alone."  
  
_But you wouldn't,_ Gabriel thought uneasily.  
  
"How do I give you the Reaper without dying?" he asked instead.  
  
"Convince the djinn leader, Mondatta, to take the Reaper out of you. That's how they took it out of its original host, you know. Mondatta rips the Reaper out of you, I assume it, I kill Mondatta, and we both go our merry ways."  
  
She made it sound so simple, so innocent.  
  
"No Reaper bothering you, no harpies controlling you, you and Jack can live together in peace, and I promise not to touch the other djinn." Liao smiled at him, like they were back in the station and she'd just cracked a decent joke.  
  
Gabriel didn't smile back. "How do you know about Jack?" he asked, his blood feeling like ice in his veins.  
  
The smile flickered out. "I visited his parents," she said slowly. "They told me you two had been there for Christmas, and that you were mates. I'm happy for you, Gabe. I want you to _be_ happy. I've known Jack for a long time. He's a good man, and I'm glad you've found each other."  
  
Damn it, it sounded genuine. There had to be some flaw in her facade, some thread he could tug to get it to unravel.  
  
"There's no pressure, Gabe," Liao said in the same tone she used when she was urging him to take a personal day and cool off, the 'I'm your friend and I care about your dumb ass' tone. "We've got two months before the formal mediation. And I know I haven't been completely honest with you, but I was trying to protect you. I fought tooth and nail to keep the Reaper from taking you, so you wouldn't have to suffer all of this."  
  
Gabriel closed his eyes, breathing deeply, trying to calm himself and the Reaper. The memory of a Burger King he'd never been to came to mind.  
  
"Do you know what the Sight is?" he asked quietly, watching her through his eyelashes.  
  
Liao shook her head.  
  
"It's a power humans develop when they've been around supernatural creatures for too long. Sort of a self-defense mechanism. Lets them sense what things are. I've got it." Gabriel opened his eyes fully and locked gazes with Liao. "Wanna tell me why you're covered in the Reaper's taint?"  
  
Her eyes narrowed, and her lips pressed together into the hard line he'd seen so many times when she was aggravated with him. "Gabriel, trust me when I say you don't want to know."  
  
"Jack's mom said we both smelled like death," he pressed. "Why?"  
  
"You don't want to know the answer to that question, Gabriel."  
  
"How old are you, Liao?"  
  
"Reyes, I'm warning you-"  
  
"You're going to die," he said softly.  
  
The angry protest Liao had been about to voice dried up and, for just a moment, she looked uncertain.  
  
"The djinn whose legs you cut off. She showed you your future. You _die_ , Liao. Is that really what you want?"  
  
Her dark eyes burned with hatred he'd only seen in Ojal's memories. "If Mondatta dies first, then I'll be satisfied."  
  
"If you get the Reaper back, you're going to slaughter all the djinn." The words were cold, even, a statement of fact. Liao nodded, just the slightest motion. "I can't let you do that."  
  
"You can't kill me either, Gabe."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Then what are you going to do?"  
  
Gabriel fixed his quarters firmly in his mind's eye. "You'll find out in two months," he said, and _reached_.  
  
The last thing he saw as he teleported was _hatred_ burning in Liao's eyes.

 

* * *

I guess this is Chapter 39

* * *

 

"So what _are_ you going to do in two months?" Jack asked when Gabriel finished relaying the conversation, fingers combing through his mate's hair as they lay in bed with the griffin as the big spoon.  
  
Gabriel groaned before saying, "That depends on Mondatta. I'm going to have to talk to him sooner or later, and I'm trying to convince myself that it should be sooner."  
  
"Can we drop in on my parents first?" Jack's voice was quiet. "Liao said she visited. I'm...a little concerned, now that we know what she is, that she might have...done something."  
  
That was both an excellent point and a good distraction. "Okay, but what do we tell them? That Liao was the original Reaper? That _I'm_ the Reaper?"  
  
"Ma already knows, but maybe it's time we tell Pa."  
  
Gabriel rolled over to give his mate a teasing look. "You don't sound very sure about that, Jack."  
  
The griffin shrugged uncomfortably. "I don't like drawing things out."  
  
"Okay, we'll tell him." Gabriel leaned in to kiss the tip of Jack's nose. "Should we bring some sort of a gift? A hey-sorry-your-son-is-dating-the-Reaper gift?"  
  
Jack thought about that for a bit. "Pa loves a good cherry pie," he said slowly, "but cherry season doesn't start for weeks. That might soften him up."  
  
"Then let's go down to the dining room," Gabriel suggested, feeling better about his half-assed impromptu idea.

 

* * *

  
  
Mary ushered them inside, cheerfully calling to her husband that their son and his mate had dropped in with a cherry pie. The instant John entered the room, however, his expression made Gabriel freeze like a rabbit seeing a hawk.  
  
"I recognize that scent now," the older male growled. "Jack, what evil have you brought into my house?"  
  
"Gabriel's the Reaper, Pa," Jack answered softly. "That doesn't make him evil."  
  
Gabriel closed his eyes and winced away as John argued loudly that it did, in fact, make him the scum of the Earth.  
  
"Pa. Pa! PA! _Listen_ to me!" Silence finally greeted Jack's demand, and warily, Gabriel opened his eyes again. "Being the Mantle doesn't make someone evil if they weren't already! There have been good Reapers!"  
  
"Name one," John spat.  
  
"Great-Uncle Alfred," Jack said evenly. "Saw his portrait in the Reaper's mansion. Went looking after Grandma told Gabriel that her brother had been a Mantle."  
  
The silence stretched again, and apparently Great-Uncle Alfred had been a family favorite, because John visibly de-ruffled and averted his eyes.  
  
"I guess he's okay," the older griffin muttered, accepting a plate of hot cherry pie from his wife. "Alright, sit down, tell me why you're here."  
  
Jack waited for his father to settle on the couch before sitting in a chair and Gabriel, painfully aware of how thin his welcome was, sat on the floor with his arms loosely around Jack's leg. John eyed him with distrust, but said nothing as Jack explained the truth about Liao.  
  
"We just wanted to make sure you both were safe," Jack finished, looking apologetically at his parents.  
  
John grunted. "You. Reaper. Why are you sitting on the floor and letting my son do all the talking?"  
  
Gabriel shrugged. "When in Rome, do as the Romans do, right? I know you don't _like_ me, just because I'm human and male and mated to your son, so I figured the least I could do is follow griffin traditions and make things that much easier on Jack by acting in a way that would piss you off the least."  
  
Silence stretched before John looked away and muttered, "Eh, you're aright."  
  
Mary beamed at all three of them.

 

* * *

  
  
"I still need to talk to Mondatta," Gabriel sighed as Jack lipped at his hair.  
  
"Want me to come with you?"  
  
Gabriel leaned into the griffin's embrace. "Nah. I'm gonna aim straight for his room, and if I miss, Genji's hanging around the monastery. I don't want to subject you to him."  
  
Jack chuckled. "Alright. I'll be waiting for you." He bent his head to lip at Gabriel's ear and murmur, " _Shirtless_."  
  
"Ooh. I'll be as quick as I can." Gabriel turned in Jack's arms to hug him back and lavish a few slow, tender kisses on various parts of the griffin's anatomy. "Jack? I know I can be an asshole sometimes, but I'm really trying to keep that in check, especially around you. Thanks for putting up with me."  
  
"You're doing fine, Gabe," Jack murmured. "I know it's not easy to open up, especially with all the things life has piled on you, but you're doing great at dealing with as much of it as you can and letting me support you for the rest."  
  
Gabriel thought of himself in his future-memories, being a dick and keeping Jack in the dark, fighting and _lying_ , and hugged his mate tighter. "Don't let me take you for granted," he said quietly. "We're equals. Remind me of that if I ever start acting like a dick."  
  
"I promise." Jack lipped at his hair a bit more before letting go. "Hurry up and go talk to Mondatta, Gabe, and then come back so we can cuddle shirtless."  
  
"I'll be as fast as I can," he promised.  
  
The fireplace in Mondatta's room. Gabriel _reached_ -  
  
Mondatta was sitting on a straw mat on the floor, a cup of tea in his hands. "I expect you have questions," he said calmly. "Sit down, and I will explain everything."  
  
_Fat chance of that,_ Gabriel thought, but he sat warily down.  
  
"You're going to ask if I was the Prophet." Before Gabriel could do more than bite back his reaction, Mondatta continued, "Don't look surprised, Reaper. I can see this conversation exactly as it's going to happen. I know what I'm going to say, I know what you're going to say. I have known since before you were even born. For djinn, future-seeing only gets more accurate with age. And I am very, very old."  
  
_Yeah, except that the Reaper was created to be the anti-djinn weapon, and it fucks with seeing the future,_ Gabriel thought. This was all a huge bluff; it had to be. It had worked on him the first time, but the Iris had showed him this future for a reason. He kept his expression neutral, but internally, his mind was going into overdrive. _It's on now, fucker. Show me what you've got._  
  
"A mystery you have long since been waiting to solve - who placed you there at Ana's doorstep? It was me." Mondatta sipped his tea. "Oftentimes a person needs a _push_ to embrace their destiny. It needed to proceed this way. You needed Ana and the others. You needed _Jack_. If Angela had been able to take you before you met them...you died. Horribly. Before your time."  
  
_Because you killed me?_ Gabriel thought accusingly, remembering how easily the djinn had threatened to rip the Reaper out of him. The first time, he had demanded answers. Reasons. But there was no reason to ask that this time, and Mondatta's assertion that he knew how this conversation went tripped his 'no one tells me what to do' knee-jerk stubbornness.  
  
Gabriel kept his mouth shut.  
  
"I am the Prophet," Mondatta announced when he realized the Reaper wasn't going to ask. "Yes, I started the Construct War. It was the way things had to proceed."  
  
Again, Gabriel said nothing, although he did quirk a skeptical eyebrow at the djinn. In silence, he listened to Mondatta's prepared speech.  
  
Slavery. Slaughtering Liao's village. The way the uprising spread, with more wholesale slaughter. How he saw the creation of the Reaper in a vision, the catch-22 he was put in, and the vision of Ojal ripping the Reaper out of Liao. But one bit caught Gabriel's attention - "The Iris swore she would remove the danger of the Reaper" if Mondatta gave up his reincarnation and chose its next vessel.  
  
Not kill. Not destroy. Not end. _Remove the danger_. Hadn't Mondatta said that when he took the Reaper and then died, the Iris would take the Reaper along with his soul? Was that what she had intended Mondatta to do - to accept responsibility for his actions, to clean up the mess he caused by declaring himself the vessel and end everything almost before it got started?  
  
"I had no choice, Gabriel," Mondatta was saying mournfully. "It was genocide of humankind, or genocide of the djinn. I was protecting my own."  
  
This was going to turn into the 'you need to die for the good of the world if I have to kill you myself' talk, and Gabriel was _not_ in the mood to hear it.  
  
When he realized the Reaper was still not going to cooperate, Mondatta asked gently, "Do you know what Liao has planned for you?"  
  
"She's gonna kill me, take the Reaper back, and wipe the djinn out completely," Gabriel answered matter-of-factly. "But that's not what I came here to ask you about."  
  
All nine of the djinn's eyes blinked in shock. "It's not?"  
  
"Nope. Nice confession, though. I only came to ask you what the _fuck_ is going on with the second uprising in Russia."  
  
"The _what?"  
  
_ "I thought you said you knew what I was going to say," Gabriel said innocently. "In any case, the formal mediation will be in about two months. I suggest you look into the Russia situation if you want me to rule against Overwatch, because as things stand, that's a perfectly valid reason for them to not be helping you." He stood and stretched. "Good talk. I'll be in touch."  
  
And before Mondatta could respond, he teleported back to his quarters.

 

* * *

Does this count as Chapter 40?

* * *

 

At breakfast the next day, Amélie offered the sharp suggestion that Gabriel start training with the goal of being able to fight and kill the members of Overwatch, should the mediation go bad.  
  
"I'm not a murderer," Gabriel replied in a tone of forced neutrality. "There's better ways to handle that possibility. Angela, any luck on finding a host yet?"  
  
The harpy shook her head.  
  
"Put out the word that the new Reaper wants a bloodless mediation and is hoping for a site where violence is not allowed. Jack, who do you still have contact with from Overwatch?"  
  
The griffin blinked. "Uhh...Fareeha quit about when I did, but Tracer runs the ranger station close to my hoard and Ana's house and I'm still friends with her..."  
  
"Perfect. I think you ought to let your friend know that you're okay, and also that you have a mate. Invite her to drop by your hoard to meet me, or we can give her a tour of the mansion-"  
  
"No!" Angela interjected.  
  
"-or we can meet at a cafe somewhere or something," Gabriel finished as if he hadn't heard he harpy at all. "I'll ask Ana if we can join them for Easter and bring a side dish or a bag of O-positive for Hanzo or something. And I think I should apologize to the women whose make-out session I interrupted the day I was sneeze-teleporting all over." He shot Amélie a smug look. "If the members of Overwatch that are most likely to be there know me as a person, and especially if they like me, they're much less likely to attack me out of the blue."  
  
"Good idea," Jack said warmly.  
  
Across the table, Amélie glared daggers at both of them. "The Reaper is not supposed to be a pacifist."  
  
"Never said I was trying to be," Gabriel retorted. "I'm just not going into every situation expecting to have to fight my way out and kill everyone who disagrees with me."  
  
"The Reaper will-"  
  
"My experience is not like yours," Gabriel growled, feeling the Reaper's attention surge up, ready to fight and kill. Silently, he reminded both of them that he was _not_ going to attack Amélie at the breakfast table. "Stop making assumptions that things will be the same for me. You treated the Reaper like a weapon, and it _doesn't like that_. You want to know why? Because that's how _Liao_ treated it. Like a slave, subject to her will, with no choice in its actions. That's the exact reason the Construct War _started_. If you treat a thinking entity like shit, of _course_ it's going to act like a shithead towards you. So just _stop_ , okay? You're blaming an abused dog for biting when you're the one smacking it around. _What,_ Angela?"  
  
The white-feathered harpy who had been making unsure sounds and trying to get a word in edgewise flinched and took a deep breath. "How does Liao factor into the Reaper's history?"  
  
Gabriel covered his face with both hands and uttered a quiet but emphatic _fuck_.

 

* * *

  
  
The explanations, arguments, and yelling continued for what felt like forever. This was absolutely _not_ the way Gabriel had wanted to broach the subject and start planning for his temporary demise, but what was done was done and the metaphoric genie could not be put back into the bottle.   
  
"Does anyone disagree that Liao has to be dealt with?" Gabriel asked, glancing around. Heads shaking 'no' were the only answers he got. "Okay. Now, the way I see it, Liao is a separate issue from the case. I can't rule impartially with her involved. If we take care of her first, either by killing her or by Overwatch disowning her, _then_ I can make a decision without being used as a pawn in a grudge match spanning thousands of years."  
  
Angela grimaced. "The idea that the Reaper could have potentially been manipulated like that..."  
  
"I don't care about that," Jack said gruffly. "You're _sure_ you can bring him back?"  
  
"As long as he dies by my hand or his own. We can discuss the details of _that_ later."  
  
Jack shuddered and buried his face in Gabriel's shoulder.  
  
"Will you trust me to be a part of your plan?" Amélie asked, her gold eyes fixed piercingly on Gabriel's.  
  
"Absolutely," he replied, meeting that gaze without wavering.  
  
She blinked and muttered something in French that he loosely translated as her being surprised.  
  
Gabriel gave her a wry smile. "Remember the day I became the Reaper, and I told you that I'd probably care a lot more later about how you cheated death?" The harpies smothered giggles. Tension broken, he smiled. "Okay, we can work out details later. Right now, I want to get started on befriending Overwatch people and maybe see if Ana will let me and Jack spend Easter with her."

 

* * *

  
  
Ana sounded thrilled with the idea of Jack and Gabriel coming to her house for Easter, particularly since Jesse and Hanzo were in the process of finding a place of their own, something that jogged loose a future memory.   
  
"Will they be at Easter?" Gabriel asked. "And should we bring wedding presents as well as a side dish?"  
  
Ana verbally foundered for a moment before sighing. "Please don't tell anyone. I did not mean to let that slip. Yes, they will be celebrating with us and yes, wedding presents would be appropriate."  
  
"I won't say a word," Gabriel promised. "Do you want to come see the mansion sometime? There's a bunch of really old books in the Reaper's quarters..."  
  
"We can discuss it in two weeks," she assured him. "I'm afraid we will not be home in the meantime, and that I am unable to tell you more than that."  
  
"No problem. Tell the ha- tell Hanzo and Jesse I said hi."  
  
They said their goodbyes and hung up, and Jack promptly arched an eyebrow at his mate. "Wedding presents?"  
  
"Yeah. Got any ideas? Because I'm pretty sure all of mine are bad."  
  
Jack pulled him into a hug and lipped at his hair. "Let me hear your ideas first."  
  
"You're going to laugh at them," Gabriel said, unsure if he was warning Jack or complaining.  
  
"I want to hear them anyway."  
  
Gabriel sighed. "Okay. Blood for Hanzo, human blood, medical blood. Maybe some of mine. Kept warm by my body heat. Also doubles as a side dish for Easter."  
  
"Not a bad idea," Jack said, kissing the side of Gabriel's neck. "And for Jesse?"  
  
"Uhhh...a case of fancy dog biscuits. The biggest bone chew-toy ever. A haunch of something. A really fancy collar. I'm so bad at this," he whined, turning to press his face into Jack's shoulder. "There are probably all really offensive ideas, help."  
  
"A brush," Jack chuckled, hugging his mate. "Number one gift idea for most transhumans is grooming tools."  
  
"I don't know how to pick a brush for a werewolf. Wait..." Gabriel lifted his head. "There's some kind of fancy boutique for this sort of thing somewhere, isn't there? Tell me there is."  
  
Jack grinned. "There is. It's expensive, but the craftsmanship and materials are top-notch."  
  
"Oh, thank god." Gabriel slumped against him in relief. "Where is it, and when should we go?"  
  
"Let's talk to Lena first and see if she wants to join us for shopping and dinner in Paris."  
  
Gabriel grinned. "Let me get my credit cards, and then let's go."

 

* * *

Still Chapter 40 maybe

* * *

 

Lena was just as bubbly and enthusiastic as Gabriel remembered, unbothered by the fact that Gabriel was the Reaper and _thrilled_ that Jack had found someone special.  
  
"Of _course_ I'll go with you!" she declared, hugging them both. "You don't have to twist _my_ arm, luv!"  
  
_Can we do three?_ Gabriel thought at the entity coiled in the back of his mind, and felt the liquid-steel grace of the Reaper fill him. Apparently they could. Shadow tendrils wrapped around both of his passengers, and with the usual lurch of dislocation, their surroundings blurred into Paris.  
  
"You can teleport, too!" Lena chirped. "That's brilliant!"  
  
"It does come in handy," he said, buffing his fingernails against his shirt. "Jack, where's the boutique?"  
  
It took less time to get there than Gabriel had been afraid it would, and when they arrived, it looked like a really fancy jewelry store from the outside. And from the inside. But the saleswoman who approached them had to be a transhuman, because she kept shooting little glances at him although most of her attention was focused on Jack.  
  
"It would be my _pleasure_ to serve you," she purred. "What may we help you find today?"  
  
"We're in search of a _unique_ gift for a _special_ friend," Jack answered.  
  
The saleswoman snapped two manicured fingers and a second woman came out of the back room to stand behind the counter. "If you would follow me," she said in a tone of subservient command, and led the way through a door that Gabriel hadn't noticed.  
  
When they crossed the doorway, they found themselves in what looked like a cross between an art gallery and a cave, with various pieces of jewelry on stone plinths carved to represent the shapes they were meant to be worn on and shelves carved out of the walls holding a dizzying array of brushes, combs, and things Gabriel had no names for. The saleswoman shook herself and flowed into something roughly the shape of a lion with elongated front legs, making her body slope downwards while her head remained exactly where it was. Golden-brown bird wings stretched up towards the ceiling before folding neatly against her back.  
  
"Welcome, _madame_ and _messieurs_. It is truly an honor to have you visit our humble shop," she purred at Jack. "Is this to be the day one of our unworthy creations graces your majestic body, Strike-Commander?"  
  
Jack coughed and blushed as both Gabriel and Lena looked at him. "I'm...retired," he choked out.  
  
"This does not mean your body is any less majestic," the - what was she, a sphinx? - insisted, eyelashes fluttering.  
  
"It is pretty majestic," Gabriel chimed in, amused. "What did you have in mind?"  
  
"Gabe!" Jack shot him a slightly-desperate pleading look while Lena giggled.  
  
The salessphinx gave him a warily appraising look. "It is so rare to see a lion-headed griffin," she began demurely, "but the challenge is worth the effort..." Gracefully, she padded over to a plinth and sat on her haunches, reaching up with delicate forepaws to both beckon them forward and gesture to the jewelry on it.   
  
If not for the carvings, Gabriel would have no idea what he was looking at, but it seemed to be a set of claw-tips and rings connected by fine chains. The equivalent of really fancy footwear, he guessed. There were also a set of bracer-like bangles and ornate ear cuffs for rounded leonine ears. Lena oohed and aahed over them, and Gabriel made thoughtfully appreciative noises, but Jack stayed where he was and refused to even look in their direction.  
  
Gabriel gestured for the sphinx to lean closer. "Hey, uh...I'm still new to the supernatural world. Is this a purely masculine design, or would it be appropriate for a female lion-headed griffin as well?"  
  
"Not all species have binary gender," she informed him primly. "Our designs are for all." A moment later, though, she coughed delicately. "The bangles were designed specifically with the Strike-Commander in mind," she admitted.  
  
"They look good," Gabriel said encouragingly, and they did - silver, or maybe white gold or something more exotic, with a stylized reverse-griffin on each one, like tiny medieval shields. The eyes of the griffins were some blue stone that actually matched the color of Jack's eyes, and they were bordered in vibrant blue. The other pieces were traditional yellow gold. "Hey, do you have a comb or brush meant for a lion-headed griffin's mane?"  
  
The sphinx colored lightly. "We do. This way, please..."  
  
Gabriel followed her to a shelf and admired a comb the size of his hand that had teeth like a hair pick and a handle that was undeniably modeled after Jack's griffin body. After a quick glance to make sure his mate wasn't looking, he told the sphinx in a low tone to box it up secretly.  
  
"And, uh, while we're on brushes and combs," he said in a more normal voice, "what would you recommend for a werewolf?"  
  
"We have an entire selection," she answered, the griffin-mane comb having vanished somewhere. "This way, please..."  
  
She led Gabriel to another shelf, this one matched sets of brush and comb, and he gestured for Jack to join them. Casually, he slid his arm around Jack's waist as he pointed to a set that looked like they were made from polished wood. They pored over brush-and-comb sets for several minutes before settling on the one Gabriel had initially pointed out, which turned out to be _fossilized_ wood. Lena expressed approval, although Gabriel would have sworn she hadn't been there a moment ago, and the sphinx took the set off to be boxed.  
  
"Been here before?" Gabriel teased, making Jack blush.  
  
"Melina has been a.. _.vocal admirer_ for about four or five decades," he muttered. "She's at least five hundred, and her type is lion-headed griffins. I know for a _fact_ that she's had three of them as lovers in the last century and has one _currently_. I'm just on her radar because completely white lion-headed griffins that aren't albino are extremely rare."  
  
Gabriel leaned in for a brief kiss. "At least she knows a handsome man when she sees one."  
  
Jack chuckled. "I don't know about that. After all, she hasn't come on to _you_."  
  
"Well played," Gabriel mock-growled, trying to pretend he wasn't blushing at the compliment.  
  
The sphinx came back with a drawstring bag of deep blue velvet, which she removed from under one wing and offered to Gabriel. He peeked inside and saw a pair of elegant boxes, one polished wood and the other covered in white silk, before closing it again.  
  
"And now the price," she announced. "Before I name it, as is our policy, you have the option to pay partially in secrets. These must be truths that are not common knowledge and which you do not intend to announce publicly."  
  
"I'm terrified that I'm not good enough for Jack," Gabriel said without hesitation.  
  
Melina blinked. "You are..."  
  
"The Reaper," Gabriel acknowledged. "And before that, a normal human. Jack's got no reason to have picked me to be his mate, but he did and I'm terrified that I'm an unworthy mate because boy, I do _not_ feel like I deserve him."  
  
From the side, Lena clutched a velvet drawstring bag to her chest and cooed, "Awwwwwww!"  
  
Jack smiled. "I want you to design wedding rings for us, so that when my mate realizes that he's _not_ unworthy, he'll have something to propose with."  
  
The sphinx gaped at them for a long minute before shaking her head ruefully. "I cannot regret having lost this battle," she said, the first words Gabriel had heard her utter that hadn't been a purr. "It will be an honor to have designed your wedding rings."  
  
The price she named for the comb(s) and brush was lower than Gabriel was expecting, but he handed over his supernatural card without protest and soon enough, they were all back out on the street looking for a good restaurant. They traded stories over dinner, things from Overwatch days and stories of Gabriel adjusting to being the Reaper, and Lena insisted on giving Gabriel her phone number before he teleported them all back to California.  
  
"That was fun," Gabriel said after he teleported himself and Jack back to his room.  
  
Jack hugged him. "It was. I forgot how much fun just being around friends could be."  
  
Gabriel kissed him. "I'm sorry you're cooped up in here because of me ," he started, but Jack shook his head and silenced him with another kiss.  
  
"After I retired, I started my own farm. I barely saw Ma and Pa, and I avoided my friends. It hurt too much."  
  
But he had the extra-strong pride instinct, Gabriel remembered.  
  
"Get on the couch and grab the laptop," Gabriel growled. "I'm gonna be the big spoon while we start the next season, and _no arguments_."  
  
Jack froze, mouth open, argument unvoiced. After a moment he ducked his head and nuzzled Gabriel's shoulder in a gesture of submission.  
  
"We're gonna _socialize_ with everyone I can think of," Gabriel threatened while mock-preening his mate's hair. "Because you're my _mate_ and I _love_ you."  
  
"I love you too," Jack breathed. "Thank you."


	5. Prepre For Trouble, Make...More Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel is fascinated by how the same events and conversations keep happening even when the circumstances are different. Or he would be, if he weren't focused on the terrifying possibility of things going wrong despite all his plans.

* * *

Chapter 41

* * *

 

"So these women you interrupted," Jack said over breakfast. "What did they look like?"  
  
Gabriel swallowed a mouthful of waffles. "Uh. Short, Asian, kinda chubby and tall, Russian, could crush my head between her thighs."  
  
"Descriptive," Jack said blandly. "But it sounds like the first one could be Mei. I think dropping by to introduce yourself properly and apologize is a good idea. We should bring food and vodka."  
  
"Excited to be social again?" Gabriel teased, laughing when Jack's cheeks turned red. "I'll take that as a yes. When do you want to go?"  
  
"If we're bringing food, waiting until lunchtime would probably be good," Jack deadpanned. "Any idea where they live?"  
  
Gabriel ransacked his future memories. Spending the night on the couch, driving back with Liao from- "Santa Barbara," he announced. "But I'm not sure where in the city...I could teleport directly into the apartment, I'm sure, but that would be rude. And dangerous."  
  
"Teleport in and sneak out?" Jack suggested.  
  
"I may have a solution," Gabriel said slowly, remembering how he made the Thing trick work. "But we probably want to get the vodka first just in case."  
  
After breakfast, they teleported (with the help of a map, for aiming) to...somewhere in Russia. Gabriel was able to use his Sight to locate a transhuman who didn't seem terrified of him, a burly brawler-type with a raven on one shoulder and a dog at his heels. Both animals kept watching Gabriel intently as the brawler gave him directions to a good place to buy vodka, and suggestions for what brand to buy. Jack stayed strangely quiet during the conversation, keeping his head slightly down and not looking directly at the guy or his weird pets. Gabriel wasn't certain why, because the guy seemed friendly enough even if the animals were creepy.  
  
Only after they'd concluded their conversation and gone their separate ways did Jack wrap possessive arms around one of Gabriel's and hiss, "That was a dragon!"  
  
Oh. "He seemed nice enough."  
  
"He was ready to fight you."  
  
"That explains why he was so happy to give me directions, I guess." Gabriel nuzzled the griffin's neck. "You okay?"  
  
Jack kissed him briefly. "Yeah. Just a little shaken. I'll have to have Angela lecture you on dragons."  
  
Gabriel whined and pouted for a minute before laughing. "Probably wouldn't be a bad idea," he conceded. "To keep from giving you a heart attack, if nothing else."  
  
The liquor store turned out to be run by vampire who kept flinching away from Gabriel, and the suggested brand of vodka required the supernatural credit card.  
  
"I'm not going to kill you," Gabriel tried to reassure him. "I know past Reapers have been terrifying, but you can spread the word that the new Reaper would rather buy the next round than start a bar fight. Doesn't mean I won't defend myself," he added, "but I'm not gonna kill you for looking at me the wrong way."  
  
It didn't seem to reassure the vampire much. Gabriel paid for his purchase, took his mate's arm, and teleported out.  
  
He spent the late morning learning about Chinese yetis at Jack's suggestion, and then at about 11:30 he and Jack collected the vodka and mentally crossed their fingers. Gabriel focused on the memory of talking to Liao just outside the apartment and reached _slowly_ , focusing on that moment of strange omniscience before he rematerialized to be sure he was where he wanted to be.  
  
Jack looked at the apartment door, looked at his mate, and beamed. "Nicely done, Gabe!" He reached out to knock, and-  
  
"Who is there?" demanded an angry Russian voice.  
  
The two men exchanged a look of _what the hell, why not_ and Gabriel called out, "Gabriel Reyes and Jack Morrison." A pause, and then he added, "We brought vodka."  
  
The door opened and there was Zarya, just as massive and terrifying as Gabriel remembered, and she was...ignoring him to stare at Jack.  
  
"You are Jack Morrison, the Overwatch leader, the undefeated griffin?"  
  
"Retired," Jack demurred, trying to hide how flattered he was. "But yes."  
  
"It is an _honor._ Come in! Tell me what brings you here!"  
  
Gabriel stood back and let Jack do the talking, grinning as his mate traded bits of story with the werebear and presented her with the vodka.  
  
"This is from Russia," she said in awe.  
  
"I can teleport," Gabriel pointed out. "You might remember that from the first time we met, which was me accidentally teleporting into your apartment and then back out."  
  
"You are the Reaper," Zarya said warily. Gabriel nodded. "But you are also..."  
  
"He's my mate," Jack said firmly. "He's a good man. It was his idea to bring a sorry-for-teleporting-in-on-you gift."  
  
"Lunch is on me, too," Gabriel interjected. "What and where is up for negotiation."  
  
Zarya nodded. "We will have pizza, delivered, but not until Mei gets back from shopping." She turned the vodka bottle around in her hands, almost nervously, before setting it on a shelf. "Reaper, is it true the djinn have brought a case against Overwatch?"  
  
Slowly, Gabriel nodded.  
  
"Might I ask which way you lean?"  
  
"It's complicated," Gabriel told her. "Right now, I want more information."  
  
"May I offer some?"  
  
He spread his hands. "Please. Be my guest."  
  
Hesitantly, she told him about the second uprising. Jack's brows furrowed as they listened, but neither of them said anything until she was finished.  
  
"This is why I have supported Liao, and why I wish to join Overwatch," Zarya said. "She has promised me that she will kill the djinn in my homeland."  
  
Gabriel caught and held her gaze. "No matter which way I rule," he promised, "I will make sure that gets the attention it deserves. But from what you described, they're being controlled rather than rebelling of their own free will. I'd rather free them than just slaughter them, if that's the case, and bring the ones responsible to justice."  
  
Zarya looked uncomfortable, but nodded. "If I may ask...Overwatch does not normally work with the Reaper..."  
  
Again, Gabriel let Jack do the talking as he explained how the previous Mantle had taken the Reaper in order to enact petty revenge, and how he'd retired after the deaths of close friends and lived in isolation until one day he rescued a human who the Reaper had picked for its new host, and how he'd befriended the man and promised to stand by him and not let him go through that horror alone.  
  
"You were right," she told Jack when he was finished his story. "He _is_ a good man. He went to Russia to obtain _good_ vodka as a gift."  
  
Footsteps on the stairs made them all pause, and Zarya smiled. "My little snowflake returns," she told them.  
  
Gabriel grinned. "Let me get the door."  
  
As soon as the footsteps stopped, he turned one arm into a whip and reached out to open the door.  
  
"Thank you," Mei said, her arms full of paper grocery bags that blocked her view.  
  
"You're welcome," Gabriel said as Zarya plucked the groceries from her arms.  
  
"Zarya?" Mei asked uncertainly.  
  
The werebear beamed. "Mei, what do you want on your pizza? The Reaper is buying."

 

* * *

Chapter 42

* * *

 

Over pizza and soda, they all swapped stories of how they met and became couples. There was some friendly argument about whether a giant bear or a griffin gave better cuddles, but in the end Jack won purely because the Reaper's room was big enough to allow him to change forms. After lunch, sucking on the popsicles Gabriel remembered Mei buying, they talked a little about the situation in Russia. Finding the ones responsible rather than killing the constructs was accepted as the best idea, given scale and manpower. He sure hoped Mondatta found something, because his other self hadn't learned _shit_.  
  
After that discouraging talk, they played a board game called _Sorry!_ that involved getting pieces around the board from 'start' to 'home', and Mei was _brutal_ at sending everyone else's pieces back to 'start'. No matter how earnestly she apologized for doing it, Gabriel didn't think she was sorry at all. Unsurprisingly, she won the game.  
  
To celebrate her girlfriend's victory, Zarya broke into the vodka and poured them all a shot. Gabriel wasn't sure if vodka was really to his taste, but at least he didn't cough, so...hey, reputation maintained. Then Zarya suggested playing Never Have I Ever, and he remembered _way_ too clearly how that had ended up.  
  
"I'm the designated driver," he protested, hands up in disavowal. "Drunken teleporting is a bad idea. I'll drink double or triple shots of water, but..."  
  
Jack put his hands on Gabriel's shoulders and fixed his mate with a serious look. "Gabe," he said solemnly, "will you still love me if I get completely hammered without you?"  
  
"Even if you puke on me and shit the bed," Gabriel replied, equally solemn.  
  
Jack looked at him a moment longer. "Please don't let me do that," he said quietly.  
  
Gabriel laughed.  
  
The game went mostly as expected - left fur in the bed, shot anyone, killed anyone, joined Overwatch, been the Reaper, been to the zoo, left California without teleporting, dated a human who's not the Reaper, been a man, gone skinny dipping, and others. Gabriel knocked back half a glass of water instead of a shot of vodka for every time he had to drink, and made Jack do a shot of water for each shot of alcohol. His stomach and bladder were groaning by the time Mei passed out and Zarya called it quits, and he poured Jack a glass of water to drink while he went to the bathroom to relieve himself.  
  
When he came out, Jack slurred that their hosts had gone to bed. He scrawled a note on the pad on the fridge, thanking them for a fun evening and leaving his phone number. Then he wrapped a tendril around his swaying mate and took them home.  
  
Jack was a more cuddly drunk than Gabriel remembered. Granted, _he_ had been pretty drunk in those memories, too. They spent a pleasant ten or twenty minutes lounging on the couch, kissing and mock-preening, until Gabriel's stomach outsourced enough of its contents to his bladder to make him need the bathroom again. While he was relieving himself, Jack apparently decided he could cuddle better as a griffin because Gabriel was greeted by a giant lion tongue scraping up the side of his face as soon as he left the bathroom. Over his (admittedly weak) protests, he found himself pinned gently to the floor and nuzzled by half a ton of purring fur.  
  
"I love you too, Jack," he laughed as whiskers tickled his stomach, "but the floor isn't exactly comfortable."  
  
The griffin heaved himself to his feet, only to grab the blanket from their bed and pull it down onto the floor.  
  
"Jack, that's not what-"  
  
A big paw urging him gently over interrupted his protest, and with a sigh Gabriel stripped to his boxers. The next twenty minutes were spent cuddling up to fur and feathers and being licked on just about every patch of exposed skin. When he had to pee for what he hoped would be the last time before bed, he distracted Jack by kissing the center of his feline nose. (Jack had protested once that his nose _wasn't_ ticklish, it was just Gabriel's facial hair that made it tickle so much.) When he got back, he found his mate had finally passed out. With a mental shrug, he wormed his way under one foreleg and used the other as his pillow.

 

* * *

Chapter 43…kinda

* * *

 

Gabriel woke up first, unsurprisingly, with a desperate need to pee. At least it was better than being hung over, which Jack probably was. On a whim, he woke the laptop he'd gotten from Torbjörn and went to the supernatural equivalent of Google. _Griffin hangover cure,_ he typed, and promptly clapped both hands over his mouth to keep from giggling out loud. A quick glance with the Sight located the nearest golem, and he misted silently from the room to intercept it and place a breakfast order.  
  
When the food arrived, he took the covered platters one at a time to the coffee table by the couch, then the pitchers of water, juice, and coffee. Finally, carefully, he carried the soup tureen full of milk - he didn't ask what kind - over to where Jack was making low moaning sounds. The griffin's nose flared as Gabriel set the tureen down, and cautiously he opened one eye.  
  
"Mmuh," he said as he shifted his weight and got his legs under him. Then, to Gabriel's delight, he crouched like a cat over a saucer and started lapping the milk up.  
  
"Can I pet you?" Gabriel asked quietly.  
  
Jack made a whining sort of noise that sounded like _I guess so_ , and Gabriel knelt beside him. Gently, he worked both hands into the griffin's mane and started scratching at the tender spots behind his ears. It wasn't long before Jack was purring, and not long after that he was licking the last bits of what had to have been close to a gallon of milk out of the tureen. When it was empty, he pushed it gently aside and turned towards Gabriel, who immediately began stroking the long, broad path from forehead to nose. Watching a griffin _melt_ was always a treat, and Gabriel kept up his ministrations until Jack drew in a deep breath and shrank down to a human again.  
  
"And you're worried _I'm_ to good for _you_ ," he sighed, sitting slowly up.  
  
Gabriel hugged him to his chest and finger-preened his hair. "Feeling up to real food?"  
  
"You didn't."  
  
"I did."  
  
"I fucking love you, Gabe."  
  
Gabriel kissed Jack's forehead. "Good, because I love you. Can you stand?"  
  
Jack grumbled into his chest. "Probably, but I don't want to."  
  
Shadow tendrils - and a lot of them, the Reaper was helping him out, and boy was _that_ a surprise - carried the coffee table across the room and lifted the lids covering the two platters. Waffles with maple syrup, bacon, ham, potatoes, scrambled eggs with cheese, biscuits with butter, toast with jam, and sausage - an entire breakfast buffet just for them, with mugs and service for the coffee and glasses for the juice and water.  
  
"You are the best mate ever," Jack breathed as he took in the tantalizing aromas of breakfast.  
  
"Shut up and eat," Gabriel said, trying to sound threatening instead of flustered. "Unless you want me to feed you."  
  
For a long moment, Jack buried his face in Gabriel's shoulder. "Serve yourself whatever you're going to want," he murmured, "because I'm going to eat _everything else_."  
  
Laughing, Gabriel kissed him. "Not if I eat it first."  
  
"You're on."

 

* * *

  
  
The two weeks until Ana and her crew got back were a bizarre combination of the usual routine and frantic planning. Obtaining blood for Hanzo turned out to be easier that expected, although Sombra warned him to not ask how she acquired it. Angela helped him siphon a small amount of his blood into the sort of sealed tube used for blood tests, and he kept that in the magical fridge along with the blood bags. Ashton stepped up to offer his domain, as Gabriel hoped he would, and privately he vowed to find some way to thank the nerdy god. The actual planning for that meeting got bogged down in discussing his impending death with Angela and Jack.  
  
"There's two important parts to this plan," he told them. "Well, I guess technically three, but the last one is tied to the first one. The first part is me actually killing myself. I want something quick so Liao can't stop me, and I'll eat lead if I have to but I'd really, _really_ rather not," he said, wincing at the memory of his own brain tissue on his tongue, ew, ew, ew.  
  
"I'd rather you didn't, too," Jack said, hugging him tightly.  
  
Gabriel ducked his head and let his mate mock-preen his hair. "You're the second part. I need you to bring my body to Angela so she can resurrect me, so you get a say in how I die because I want to make this as easy on you as I can. And the third part, Angela, is...what factors add to how long it takes to resurrect someone, and what's the best way to die so you can bring me back as quick as possible?"  
  
They discussed poison, gunshot wounds, and blunt-force trauma. Gabriel mentioned that he could easily decapitate himself, but that was vetoed by Jack for being incredibly traumatizing and by Angela for complete blood loss making resurrection more difficult. Luckily, that discussion led to confirmation that _intent_ counted more than the instrument, and thus Gabriel killing himself with a Reaper power counted as 'by his own hand'. In the end, they settled on using arm-whips or shadow tendrils to snap his own neck as being the fastest, least-traumatizing, and easiest to recover from. That left Gabriel with two tasks: learning on cadavers how to completely break the neck in one swift motion, and explaining to the Reaper _why_ this was necessary.  
  
Mei, Zarya, and Lena called a few times to chat with either him or Jack. None of them mentioned anything about the case, which made Gabriel nervous. He asked Zarya where she had learned about the case, and she admitted to having heard it from a contact in Russia and bringing it to Liao's attention but not telling Mei. She didn't want her girlfriend to think she'd only approached her to get Overwatch's ear. He assured the werebear that he wouldn't mention it, but asked her to tell him if Liao brought it up to Overwatch.  
  
Finally, one morning, his phone rang and it was Ana.  
  
The conversation was short - time and date for Easter, confirmation that blood would be a welcome gift/side dish for Hanzo, and a warning that Genji would be present but Zenyatta would not. One hand over his face, Gabriel warned her that if Genji made any ill-advised comments about his and Jack's personal lives, there would be yelling and possibly violence.  
  
"Should I ask?" Jack asked when Gabriel hung up and flopped over onto him.  
  
"Sex-obsessed vampire with no concept of when he should shut up," he sighed. "He came on to me when I first crashed at Ana's, and seemed pretty ticked when I told him my anaconda don't want none in general."  
  
"I can see where that could be awkward," Jack said dryly.  
  
Gabriel groaned. "It gets worse. You know how the Reaper will kick in if something gets its attention? I think it likes you."  
  
Jack froze. "Likes...how?"  
  
"It helped me move the table the morning after Mei's. I'm pretty sure it's not gonna be happy if Genji says something rude about the fact that we're not fucking."  
  
Silence made Gabriel glance up to see Jack staring in astonishment. Then, slowly, it thawed into a sort of unholy glee. "Who's a good embodiment of murder," the griffin cooed in the tone of voice old ladies used on small dogs and babies. "Who's the best soul-eating mass of shadows ever to be ripped out of a human?"  
  
"Jack, stop, that's creepy!" The fact that the Reaper seemed to be paying attention made him groan. Then a shadow tendril rose up from somewhere. "Noooo..."  
  
"It's you!" Jack declared brightly, reaching out to poke, pet, and play with the tendril. "It is! Yes it is!"  
  
Gabriel couldn't help it; he covered his eyes and laughed.

 

* * *

  
  
Easter morning, Gabriel misted out of bed to pull a basket full of fake grass and candy out of its hiding place and set it on the coffee table. He took a moment to admire the giant chocolate bunny with Peeps, Cadbury eggs, jelly beans, little chocolate eggs, and other candy arranged around it. Then he misted back into bed like nothing had happened. Jack guessed, when he woke up, that it had been his mate and expressed his appreciation with kisses.  
  
Since Ana was doing Easter dinner as a brunch, with food comas and grazing to follow the rest of the day, neither of them bothered eating breakfast. Jack grabbed the magical cooler filled with almost a dozen bags of human blood and fished through them until he had the extra bags of O positive and A positive. Using medical tape, he secured one to his belly and the other to Gabriel's, and then they both wrapped strips of insulating cloth around their waists and went for a healthy run around the mansion. A hot shower followed, and then they dressed and checked each other over to see if their surprises were showing.  
  
They weren't.  
  
Gabriel grabbed the cooler and the wooden box, Jack grabbed the even _more_ impressive Easter basket Gabriel had secretly prepared, and off they went.  
  
As they formed on Ana's front porch, he remembered the first time (times?) he'd been there. How scared and angry he'd been, fighting his destiny and then eager to meet it. Easter had passed without him noticing it, in his future memories. He'd gone three months without keeping in touch with _anyone_ , and now he felt like he was visiting family. A bit smug at how much better he was doing now that he had...not cheat codes exactly, but more like a previous playthrough to reference? In any case, he felt smug enough to show off and used a shadow tendril to knock on the door.  
  
Reinhardt flung the door open, arms wide to hug, but stopped at the sight of the gifts Jack and his mate had some bearing. "Come in," he boomed happily. "Set your burdens down so that I can greet you properly!"  
  
"How about we set them down one at a time out here, and then bring them inside _after_ you greet us?" Jack countered teasingly.  
  
Gabriel's eyes widened. "No no no wait!" He set the cooler down and lifted his shirt enough for Reinhardt to see the bag of now-warm blood taped to his belly.  
  
"Ahhh. Hugging will have to wait." The half-giant nodded sagely. "Come in!"  
  
They followed Reinhardt inside and to the living room, where Hanzo and Jesse were cuddling on one couch with Ana, Fareeha, and Genji in a couple of chairs. A very solid wooden chair meant to support Reinhardt's bulk had been added to the room, Gabriel thought, but then he realized that he _had_ seen it before, it had just been covered in potted plants.  
  
"Reyes-san!" Genji exclaimed in delight. "You look...different."  
  
No. Please no. "I'm a fully-fledged Reaper," he said, but Genji interrupted him.  
  
"That's not it. You _smell_ different, too. Oh!"  
  
Oh no, please-  
  
"You've been having sex!"  
  
The overlapping outbursts that got mostly consisted of the vampire's name being called sharply, or incredulous exclamations.  
  
"I _told_ you," Gabriel seethed, trying to keep the shadow tendrils to a minimum, "I'm _asexual_."  
  
"But there's _real_ manly pheromones all over you! His," he added, jerking a thumb at Jack. "Snagged yourself a _real alpha_ male, nice!"  
  
Jack held out one hand and then thought better of it, letting his humanity slip enough for fangs and a mane. "Jack Morrison. Former Strike-Commander of Overwatch," he introduced himself. "Gabriel is my mate, and what does or does not happen in our bed is none of your business."  
  
"But your scent's all over him!"  
  
Absently, Jack passed the basket to Reinhardt and stood behind Gabriel, who had his eyes closed as he silently pled with the Reaper to behave. "Because he's _my mate_ ," the griffin growled with more than a hint of lion in his voice.  
  
"I'm not _interested_ in him anymore, you can let me in on your sexploits-"  
  
The Reaper surged inside Gabriel, despite his efforts, and his eyes snapped open glowing a brilliant, bloody red. Genji had been bound in shadow tendrils like a snake squeezing its prey, a thick tendril between his teeth acting like a gag. "Genji," Gabriel hissed in a low, ominous voice, " _don't_ piss off the Reaper."  
  
The only motion in the room was the panicked flare of Genji's nostrils. Even Jesse was frozen, eyes wide, waiting to see what would happen.  
  
"Let him go, love," Jack murmured softly, wrapping his arms around Gabriel's chest and mock-preening his hair. "It's okay. He's learned his lesson. Haven't you?" he added sharply in the vampire's direction.  
  
Genji nodded frantically.  
  
"You defended me." Jack's voice was a soothing rumble, almost like his purr. "He won't do it again. Let him go."  
  
The glow faded from Gabriel's eyes, leaving them red-brown as the shadow bindings fell away. He sucked in a deep breath, silently thanking the Reaper for not going for the kill and backing down. "So," he said in a tone of _that sure happened but let's never speak of it again,_ "I hear congratulations are in order!"  
  
"Yup!" Jesse looked like he wanted to wag the tail he didn't have. "Me'n Hanzo tied the knot!"  
  
"I'm happy for you," Gabriel said honestly. "We brought presents..."  
  
He handed Jesse the box and passed the cooler to Hanzo.  
  
"A full assortment," the elder vampire said, eyebrows arching as he checked the contents. "Reyes-san, this is an incredible gift, thank you."  
  
Beside him, the werewolf was fairly squealing in delight at the brush and comb set. "I can't _wait_ to have you use these on me," he told his husband, leaning in to kiss his neck.  
  
"And they have brought CANDY!" Reinhardt announced, holding the basket up for all to admire.  
  
Ana smiled. "Don't eat too much," she warned the room as a whole. "We're having dinner in a few hours."  
  
Gabriel and Jack settled on the other couch and conversation resumed, stories and jokes and discussions of who was living where. Jack and Fareeha traded gossip on Overwatch members they'd been in touch with while Gabriel and Hanzo compared their experiences being involved with shifters. Gabriel floated the idea of them all being there to support him for his first case as the Reaper, and they all seemed amenable to it, which was a relief. Ana and Reinhardt excused themselves to the kitchen to take dishes out and prepare them, and soon enough Reinhardt was calling everyone in to the dining room where a veritable feast had been laid out. Genji and Hanzo looked slightly wistful, and Gabriel remembered the elder brother sucking juice out of a chicken nugget in a Burger King.  
  
"Brought something for you," he told Hanzo, reaching under his shirt and wincing as he pulled at the tape. It was worth it to see the startled pleasure on the vampire's face as he was handed a bag of blood.  
  
"It's warm," he breathed in awe. "Reyes-san, I am honored!"  
  
Jack pulled his own bag off and offered it to Genji. "Happy Easter?"  
  
Genji smiled slyly, as if he were about to make an inappropriate comment, and then glanced at Gabriel and changed his mind. " _Domo arigato_ ," he said instead, bowing deeply.  
  
While everyone was serving themselves, Ana collected bits of everything onto a tiny plate and left for what Gabriel assumed was Jamison's room. When she came back, he caught her eye.  
  
"Pixie okay?" he asked.  
  
Ana laughed. "He unwisely taunted some of the nymphs, and suffered some humiliating injuries. He refuses to come out until the stains fade."  
  
The meal was _worlds_ better than Christmas, as far as Gabriel was concerned, purely because of the company. The food was still foreign, using ingredients and spices he wasn't familiar with, but instead of potentially-hostile griffins bragging and treating him like a pet, he was surrounded by friends. Most of whom were being just as sickeningly cute with their spouses as he was, what with him and Jack feeding each other bites and sitting so close they may as well have been sharing a chair. Jesse periodically held the pouch of blood for Hanzo to drink from, while Hanzo fed his husband tidbits, and Reinhardt kept murmuring things that made Ana giggle and blush. Fareeha seemed to approve of the half-giant flirting with her mother, and Gabriel wondered briefly _when_ exactly the two had gotten together since he was pretty sure a quarter-giant should be visually identifiable in some way, and Fareeha looked...normal.  
  
After everyone not drinking blood had eaten their fill, Jesse suggested going outside to nap in the shade, and Jack seconded the motion. Ana declined, claiming the dishes had to be done and volunteering Genji and Fareeha to help her. Werewolf and vampire leading the way, griffin and Mantle following, the four of them trooped outside to one of the trees surrounding the yard. Jack shifted to griffin on the way, while Jesse slipped behind the tree to strip and shift. Gabriel felt the tiniest bit superior as he got settled against Jack's bulk and watched Hanzo lean against the tree with Jesse's head and forequarters in his lap. _His_ mate, he thought smugly, was big enough to provide full-body cuddles. He threaded one hand up into Jack's mane, scratching until the griffin started purring, and fell asleep with a smile on his lips.

 

* * *

Almost Chapter 44

* * *

 

There was more casual hanging out when they woke up, a surprisingly competitive game of ultimate Frisbee wherein shadow tendrils and whatever levitation magic Fareeha used were ruled to be cheating, and a round of snacking on candy and leftovers. Gabriel slipped into Jamison's room to talk to the pixie, only to discover him sulking under a handkerchief. Turns out that Satya's revenge for the stinkbomb was to bombard the pixie with berries and temporarily stain him in varying shades of pink.  
  
"I can't let my boyfriend see me like this!" Jamison wailed, giving Gabriel an opening to ask about Roadhog and express a desire to meet him. That was surprising enough that the pixie stuck his head out from under the cloth. "You wanna meet Hoggy?"  
  
"He sounds like a good guy. And I consider you a friend, so yeah, I want to meet him."  
  
"I'm friends with the _Reaper?_ _"_  
  
Gabriel manifested a tiny tendril for the pixie to high-five. "You sure are. Don't count on me to finish any fight you start, though," he added as it occurred to him that Jamison would probably do just that. "And yeah, I do want to meet your boyfriend."  
  
"I'll get Ana to call you when he comes," Jamison promised. "He's gonna come get me and we're gonna rob _everyone!"_  
  
The maniacal laughter would have sounded more impressive coming from someone who wasn't six inches tall, but the pink and magenta stains on his face and hair made it more unnerving.  
  
"Oh, brought you something," Gabriel said, fishing a single tiny chocolate egg and a small box of Jelly Bellies out of his pocket. "Most of the Easter candy is too big for you to carry, so..."  
  
Two berry-stained arms emerged to pull his prizes out of sight under the handkerchief. "You're alright," Jamison said from beneath the cloth. "I'll tell Hoggy he needs to meet you."  
  
"Thanks, Jamison," Gabriel said with a little smile. "Happy Easter."

 

* * *

  
  
With three weeks until the mediation, Angela sent messages to both Overwatch and the Shambali with the time, date, and location. Gabriel did his best to bury his nervousness under lifting weights, but he still found himself going over his future memories obsessively, trying to make sure he had everything planned out. He mastered snapping cadaver necks with his whip arms, and woke up one morning to a herd of cows in the courtyard.  
  
"So you can practice on something living," Amélie told him, her yellow eyes hard and glittering.  
  
Gabriel ignored the implied slight - that he needed practice killing living things - and waded into the herd. It took having to behead five crippled cows before he learned how much force was required to kill the cows instantly. _I have to do this,_ he thought at the entity in his head. _I have to kill myself so Liao can take you back because that's the only way we can make sure she never gets you again. She can't die until she gets you back. I won't let her keep you, I promise. I'm not abandoning you. God, I hope you understand this._  
  
When the last cow was dead, Gabriel stalked past Amélie without a word. Cow or not, those were still living things and he'd killed them with something almost more intimate than his bare hands, he was covered in blood, and he was fairly sure the Reaper was just as rattled as he was. He kept his eyes straight ahead and didn't answer Jack, every bit of him intent on the hot bath that awaited him in the Reaper's bathroom. Jack watched, concerned, as his mate stripped and climbed into the shower while the giant tub filled, scrubbing himself all over and washing his hair twice. Only after Gabriel had slipped into the hot water did he join him.  
  
"Gabe?" he asked softly, almost but not quite reaching out, afraid of startling his mate.  
  
Gabriel turned and hugged Jack desperately, head on his chest, shivering despite the heat of the water.  
  
"I'm scared, Jack," he whispered, eyes shut tight. "I just killed a herd of cows. I'm going to kill myself. I'm scared something will go wrong. I don't want to die, Jack. I don't want to leave you alone."  
  
"I don't want you to die, either," Jack murmured, finger-preening Gabriel's hair. "But I would rather you die under controlled circumstances and come back to me than have Liao put one between your eyes and lose you forever."  
  
"That's not very comforting," Gabriel complained.  
  
Jack kissed his hair. "I'm sorry. I'm a horrible mate. You're having an existential crisis and a good three-fourths of my brain is focused on all those perfectly good cows and how I haven't had fresh beef in _forever_."  
  
That was unexpected enough that Gabriel laughed weakly. "I've never seen you eat as a griffin."  
  
"That's because it's messy as hell."  
  
"Mm. And you with all that white fur."  
  
"And feathers. It's not easy to preen with a lion's head."  
  
Gabriel sat up. "How do eagle-headed griffins bathe their lion halves?" he asked, curiously.  
  
Jack snorted. "Badly. Grooming tools are a _very_ good gift idea for most transhumans."  
  
"That's why preening is such a big thing, huh? I should have asked that sphinx about something to groom your feathered butt."  
  
"Fingers are better," Jack said, blushing to the tips of his ears.  
  
Gabriel stood up. "You know what? I don't want to sit around being depressed and anxious. Let's go get you some fresh beef and I'll take a shot at helping you clean up."  
  
"You'd do that?" Jack asked slowly, standing up as well.  
  
"I'd be a shitty mate if I didn't, considering all the times you helped clean _me_ up."  
  
Jack hugged him, both of them shivering slightly as the cooler air hit their wet skin. "Should we get you some burgers or something?"  
  
"I'm not sure I can eat yet."  
  
"Okay." Jack kissed his mate gently. "Thank you for this."

 

* * *

  
  
Watching Jack go to town on a hind quarter of fresh beef, still wearing its skin, was less Animal Planet than Gabriel had been afraid of. Seeing his mate so happy helped. Watching those big blue eyes widen as he teleported his right hand into his closet and brought it back holding the griffin-mane comb made Gabriel feel warm and happy, and spending an hour combing blood out of griffin mane and preening it off of griffin feathers while his mate purred in contentment was a lot more satisfying than he thought it would be. They napped in the sun for a while, and Gabriel woke up famished.  
  
Fortunately, he was also settled enough to enjoy a generous slab of steak without being weirded out by the fact that he'd literally killed that cow just a few hours ago. He did compliment the chef golem, which made the construct chirp in flustered pleasure at the praise. Jack was still full from his own serving of cow, of course, but he ordered a dark chocolate mousse with raspberries and took quite a bit of pleasure in feeding it to Gabriel and tasting it on his mate's lips.  
  
"Just like you," he murmured between kisses. "Dark, intense, and sweeter than you look."  
  
"You're a sap, Jack," Gabriel murmured back, but he didn't protest the attention or the dessert.  
  
Naturally, that's when his phone rang.  
  
"Zarya," he muttered at seeing who was calling. He was tempted to not answer it, but she'd promised to let him know if Liao brought the case up, and they _had_ just sent notice of the formal mediation. "Talk to me, big mama," he said, putting the call on speakerphone so Jack could hear.  
  
"Flattery will get you nowhere, little man," the werebear teased. "How would you like to join us tomorrow for exciting party?"  
  
Gabriel arched an eyebrow at Jack. "Party?"  
  
" _Da_. You, me, Jack, Mei, Tracer, Fareeha, and Liao. She has announced the Shambali have brought their case to you and is going to explain it to us, see who wants to come along."  
  
"Why invite us?" Jack asked, exchanging a look with Gabriel.  
  
"Because to me, she said it is about the case. But to my little snowflake, she said it is a party. The more, the merrier." The growl in Zarya's voice sent a chill of _glad it's not me_ down Gabriel's spine. "So. Is party. You will come?"  
  
"We'll be there," Gabriel promised. "Just tell us when."  
  
"Fun starts at one," Zarya said cheerfully. "You are welcome anytime past nine."  
  
Jack said, "See you at ten, then."  
  
They looked at each other as the line went dead.  
  
"You ready for this, Gabe?"  
  
The Mantle let out a shaky laugh. "Fuck no. But I don't have a choice. Where's Amélie and Angela? I think we need to talk strategy today."

 

* * *

Chapter 44

* * *

 

At ten in the morning, arms laden with take-out containers full of appetizers from the East coast and cases of soda and bottled water, Jack and Gabriel appeared outside Mei's apartment and a shadow tendril knocked on the door.  
  
"I'll get it!" called Lena's voice from the other side, and then she was blinking at the two newcomers. "Jack! Gabriel! Come in, I wasn't expecting you!"  
  
"I was," Zarya announced from further in. "Mei said is party, I invited friends."  
  
"And we brought food," Jack announced, letting the bubbly woman relieve him of the soda and water. "And drinks."  
  
"Brr, already cold." In a flash, Lena had deposited them in the fridge and come back. "Whatcha got there, Gabriel?"  
  
The Mantle was unloading containers on the coffee table. "Mozzarella sticks, mild buffalo wings, some curly fries, garlic knots, onion rings, chicken tenders, and..." He opened the last box with a flourish, displaying little plastic tubs filled with a variety of colored substances. "...dipping sauces."  
  
Mei and Fareeha, who had been standing clear of Lena's path, surged into the kitchen to come back with plates and forks and cans and bottles.  
  
"We got an assortment of bagels and cream cheese and coffee earlier," Mei said as she handed out bottles of water and cans of soda, "But this smells _delicious_. Thank you."  
  
"We weren't expecting you," Fareeha told Jack. "Looking forward to seeing Liao again?"  
  
Jack tried not to wince. "It's definitely going to be interesting. Oh. Thanks, love," he added as Gabriel handed him a plate of nibbles.  
  
"You're on your own for the sauces," Gabriel teased, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. "I refuse to do that to perfectly good onion rings."  
  
"Hey, there's nothing wrong with honey mustard instead of horseradish sauce!" Despite his mock-outrage, he leaned in to give his mate a proper kiss on the lips.  
  
Lena draped her arms around Mei and Fareeha. "Aren't they adorable? The last person I heard of Jack getting sweet on was...oof _,_ a _long_ time ago!"  
  
"He was married to his work," Fareeha said with a grin. "That's what the stories say."  
  
Gabriel grabbed a can of Coke, popped it open, and said, "Well...yeah. Overwatch was his pride."  
  
"And joy?" Fareeha quipped.  
  
"Like a lion," Mei interjected. "Griffin social groups are called prides."  
  
"And the previous Reaper killed many Overwatch members," Zarya said solemnly. "Your _family_. No wonder you retired."  
  
This time, Jack _did_ wince.  
  
Fareeha picked up a mozzarella stick, sighed, and put it back down. "That's why I left, too."  
  
Gabriel set his can down and crossed his arms. "Well, I promise I won't kill any of you. Unless it's by making jokes so funny that you're like _Oh no, Gabriel, you're killing me, this is too funny!"_  
  
Mei was the first to laugh, just a little snorting giggle that slipped out. Lena was next, then Zarya. A moment later, they were all laughing while Gabriel smiled at his mate looking tentatively relieved.  
  
Not hung over: check. Good first impressions on Lena and Fareeha, check. Being the confident friend who shows up with goodies instead of the insecure wreck who crashes in the spare bedroom without warning: check. Not having had a fight with his mate over his own dumb insecurities in front of everyone: check. Not blabbing his accusations before the perp can incriminate herself: working on it.  
  
So far, Gabriel thought, things were going pretty good.

 

* * *

  
  
"I'll get it," Jack said as someone knocked on the door, but Gabriel was faster.  
  
One arm lashed out as a whip and turned the doorknob, tugging the door open before snapping back into an arm. He got three appreciative _Oooohs_ and applause from Fareeha, who'd seen his trick already.  
  
From the doorway, Liao said, "What did I miss?"  
  
Lena waved cheerfully. "Hey, Liao! This is Gabriel, he's Jack's mate and he's the Reaper but he's a really good guy!"  
  
"I've known her for ten years," Gabriel pointed out dryly. "She knows who I am."  
  
"Oh. Well, _I_ didn't know that." Lena tuck her tongue out and laughed. "Can I get you something to drink, Liao? Gabriel and Jack brought soda and bottled water..."  
  
Liao closed the door and crossed the room to stand in front of the couch Jack and Gabriel had claimed. "Gabe," she said warily, "What's five plus two?"  
  
Oh, right, this bullshit. 'Testing' him to see if the Reaper had made him a psycho lunatic, when she knew very well that-  
  
Oh. _Oh_. She was trying to discredit him in front of everyone.  
  
"Enough to get one of those really good burritos from the truck," he said lightly. "Why, you forget how much they are?"  
  
Laughter from the other couch, where Zarya and Mei were. Liao scowled.  
  
"Can you tell me a childhood memory?" she asked.  
  
"Not without you getting me drunk. You have too much blackmail information on me already."  
  
More laughter.  
  
"How do you take your coffee?" she pressed.  
  
Jack grinned. "The way I like my men: dark but sweet."  
  
"I wasn't asking _you_ , Jack," Liao said over Lena and Fareeha making cooing sounds. "Gabriel. How old are you? Who's the president of the United States?"  
  
Gabriel sat up solemnly. "Liao, have you been hit on the head or traveled through time? Do you come bearing a message from the future?" He used his Talking Down To The Suspect voice, and was pleased to see her flush with anger.  
  
"Stop fucking around," she hissed. "Some Mantles get badly affected by the Reaper. Madness. Irritability. Confusion. I'm trying to make sure you're not a danger."  
  
"Only when he's had cabbage before bed," Jack said with a grin.  
  
"Hey! Griffin farts are ten times worse than anything that comes out of my ass!"  
  
"You only have a human sense of smell," Jack insisted. "You literally _can't_ smell how vile your cabbage gas is."  
  
That was an opportunity, Gabriel realized. He cocked his head to his mate. "Do you ever miss my human smell?"  
  
Jack blinked. "Your..."  
  
"What I smelled like before I became the Reaper. I know it changed my scent. Do you ever miss the way I used to smell?"  
  
"It's still there," Jack said, pulling him closer. "Under the Reaper's death-scent. I can still smell you. And the Reaper's scent is milder when you're not using its power, like the way your eyes aren't so red."  
  
Behind Liao, Zarya was making a face and sniffing the air.  
  
"What do I smell like?" Gabriel asked, genuinely curious.  
  
"Dark chocolate, asphalt, cloves and cumin, coffee that's been sitting in the pot too long."  
  
Gabriel looked at the werebear. "Zarya? Is that what I smell like to you, too?"  
  
"Your scent is muddled," she declared, standing up. "Come, step away from the others and do not be offended."  
  
Obediently, he stood and tried not to look as she took a not-very-discrete sniff in Liao's direction before waving him out into the guest room.  
  
"Why does Liao smell like the Reaper?" she hissed once the door had closed behind them. "It is quiet underneath her own scent, but _part_ of it, like it is a part of _her_."  
  
"You just answered your own question," Gabriel said just as quietly.  
  
Zarya crossed her arms. "And you did not tell me _why?_ "  
  
"I'm not going to tell you how to feel about her. That's your decision to make." Gabriel stuck one arm out. "Here, you better actually sniff me before we go back."  
  
She gave him a cursory sniff and then shooed him back out into the living room. "Jack is correct," she announced.  
  
Mei squeaked, "What do I smell like?"  
  
That set off a round of werebear and griffin being asked to smell women's arms and describe their scent. When Mei, Lena, and Fareeha had all been sniffed and described, the chirpy Brit asked, "What does Liao smell like?"  
  
A tense silence filled the room. Reluctantly, Liao extended one arm and stiffly, Zarya sniffed it.  
  
"Smoke. Old sandalwood. Crushed chrysanthemums. Dried blood. _Death_."  
  
"You're smelling the Reaper," Liao protested.  
  
"Yes. I am." Zarya crossed her arms. "The question is: why?"  
  
"Because Gabriel's sitting _right there,_ " she countered acidly.  
  
Quietly, Jack said, "That's the way you've always smelled, Liao."  
  
The silence this time was horrified as Mei, Lena, and Fareeha realized what was being implied.  
  
Gabriel clapped his hands together. "Right! Liao, I think this is where Jack and I fuck off so you can tell them about the case without us here to offer any conflicting information. It was nice getting together with you all. I hope to see you all in the Overwatch delegation on the twenty-fifth. Jack, you ready to go?"  
  
"Ready when you are, Gabe," he said, wrapping one arm around the Mantle's waist.  
  
Right before the disappeared, Gabriel brought one hand to his head in a 'call me' gesture, his eyes sweeping over the three uncertain women and Zarya.

 

* * *

Chapter 45

* * *

 

"That could have gone better," Jack said once they'd joined the harpies in their makeshift war room.  
  
Gabriel leaned back in his chair, arms behind his head. "It could have gone a _lot_ worse," he assured the griffin. "I think that went pretty well, all things considered."  
  
Angela frowned at both of them. "Perhaps you should tell us what happened."  
  
They'd just gotten to the point where they teleported out when Gabriel's phone rang.  
  
"Oh look," he said smugly. "It's Zarya. Quiet, everyone..." He picked up the call and put it on speaker. "Hey, how'd it go?"  
  
"Liao just left," Fareeha's subdued voice said. "Is Jack there?"  
  
"Here," the griffin said.  
  
"Is it true? Liao's a former Reaper?"  
  
Jack sighed. "Nearest we've been able to figure out, Liao was the _first_ Reaper, and she's immortal because that's what happens to a human whose magic gets ripped out."  
  
Lena's voice said shakily, "But she told us about the horrible things the djinn did in the Construct War, and Zarya said-"  
  
"I said they seemed _controlled_." the werebear interrupted. "And knowing that Liao tried to pass her scent off as being Gabriel's, I do not trust her motives in offering to slaughter the djinn in my country."  
  
"She didn't tell us she wanted to talk about the case." That was Mei's voice. "She told Zarya, but not us."  
  
"Jack." Fareeha again. "If we get everyone together and hold a vote of no confidence, will you come back?"  
  
The griffin shook his head, one hand tight around Gabriel's. "I can't. I'm personally involved with the Reaper, it would make his decision look biased." He paused. "But if Liao were to do something unadvised during the mediation, the Overwatch guidelines do allow for field conscriptions and promotions."  
  
Amélie and Angela gave Jack admiring and confused looks, respectively.  
  
"I understand," Fareeha said firmly.  
  
Gabriel cleared his throat. "I do want to remind everyone that the mediation will be held in a god's domain, and violence will not be permitted within it. If Liao or anyone else does do something unadvised, I'm going to ask you all to follow Jack's example with regards to when, where, and how to participate."  
  
There was a small babbling of agreement, and then Lena's voice asked, "What if Liao _doesn't_ do something unadvised?"  
  
The four sitting in the Reaper's mansion looked at each other. That was the one scenario they hadn't planned for.  
  
Gabriel did his best Godfather impression. "I'm gonna make her an offer she can't refuse."  
  
Surprised laughter.  
  
"Seriously though, I can't make a fair ruling until she's separated from Overwatch. She's already expressed intent to murder the djinn's leader and commit genocide on the rest of them."  
  
"But she's immortal," Mei said, still sounding shaken.  
  
"I have a plan," he assured them, making eye contact with the other three at the table. "Trust me, and follow Jack's example. Okay?"  
  
The four clustered around Zarya's phone voiced agreement, and he ended the call.  
  
"You have a Chinese yeti and a werebear, along with two of Overwatch's finest humans," Amélie spat at him, her yellow eyes harder than usual. "Why do you need _me?_ "  
  
Without breaking eye contact, Gabriel summoned shadow tendrils that grabbed one of the unused chairs and hurled it behind him, where other tendrils leaped up to catch it and wrench it apart with all the strength he'd used to snap the necks of the cows. Then the tendrils flung two of the pieces back and he lashed out with both scythe-arms to slice them mid-air, still without looking.  
  
"Liao was the first Reaper," he said quietly as the pieces clattered to the floor. "This was _her_ magic, and she used it to kill countless constructs. I don't want _anyone_ getting close enough for her to do _that_ to them. A single sniper has more chance of killing her than a squadron of the strongest fighters and magic users, if they have to get close to her to do it. If things go the way I hope, you won't be needed at all. _No one_ will, aside from Jack and Angela. But if they don't..."  
  
His glowing red eyes reflected in hers, giving them the illusion of holding flames in their depths.  
  
"...I'm counting on you to take any shot you see, and don't stop until you see the Reaper leave her mouth."  
  
Amélie swallowed. "Understood."

 

* * *

  
  
The call from Ana came the next day, bemusedly informing him that Jamison's boyfriend had arrived and would Gabriel be so kind as to come over? Gabriel grabbed Jack and they teleported to Ana's porch, where Roadhog was waiting with Jamison flitting around him excitedly. Jack _clearly_ had questions, but he kept his reaction to one skeptical look in Gabriel's direction.  
  
"You're the Reaper," Roadhog grunted. "Harpy got you, then."  
  
"She did. It's been interesting." Gabriel opened his Sight, confirming that Roadhog had that dusty sense about him.  
  
"You have the Sight."  
  
Gabriel closed it with a shrug. "It happens."  
  
Behind the leather mask, barely-visible eyes squinted. "Who trained you?"  
  
Fuck. "Uh...this is liable to get boring," Gabriel said to Jack and Jamison. "Feel free to go say hi to Ana if you want."  
  
Jack nodded and gave his mate a brief kiss before ushering the pixie inside.  
  
"Mated to the griffin?"  
  
Gabriel nodded. "Listen, can we go away from the house a bit?"  
  
That got him another suspicious look, but Roadhog turned and followed what had to be his own path out through the tall grass for several yards. "Now," he said firmly. "Who trained you?"  
  
"You did," Gabriel said, meeting the mask's eyeholes evenly. "In a different timeline, where I got away from the harpy and you were hired to kidnap me. You found me in a Burger King, in the company of a vampire, a Chinese yeti..." Gabriel took a deep breath. "...and Liao, the woman who was left immortal when the Reaper was ripped out of her thousands of years ago. I started Sighting in the middle of the fight, and you hauled me off to teach me to open and close it before bringing me back. You left me there instead of delivering me to Angela because I was Jamison's friend."  
  
Roadhug grunted. "Sounds like me."  
  
"I think the djinn's goddess gave me the knowledge of how things would have gone so that I can make sure they don't go that way again."  
  
"Why tell me?"  
  
Gabriel shrugged. "Because you still helped me, even though that never happened. And I'm sort of planning a dramatic reveal at the mediation, but I'm going with a different plan for the fight and I don't need to hire you to keep Jack from making sure I die because I'm keeping him _in the loop_ this time."  
  
"Good," the big man said shortly. "Better to be honest with people you care about."  
  
"So, uh...thanks for teaching me how to use my Sight and...if you're going to blow up a building full of rich people...um...remember to rob them first."  
  
Roadhog let out a quiet chuckle. "You're welcome. JAMISON!"  
  
The pixie shot out of Ana's house like a bullet with an Australian accent, babbling greetings and farewells and bragging in Gabriel's direction and orbiting the masked head of his - Gabriel refused to think about it too hard - partner in crime. Hopefully _only_ in crime. They started walking away from the house; Gabriel tossed them a final wave and walked back _towards_ the house...and his tolerantly-amused mate waiting on the porch.  
  
"Got through saying the things you didn't want me to hear?" the griffin asked dryly.  
  
Gabriel hugged him tightly, face pressed against Jack's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I'll tell you later, I promise." His voice shook slightly as a memory surged up: the griffin's heartwrenching grief when he realized his lover was dead.  
  
"Gabe..." Jack stroked his hair gently. "It's okay. I trust you."  
  
_You shouldn't. I lied to you. I'm a horrible mate._  
  
"Jack? Thanks for being there for a complete stranger and supporting me through my transition. I know I've said it before but..."  
  
"You haven't done anything to apologize for," Jack said firmly. "And yes, Gabe, I know you were trying to apologize for being an asshole. But you haven't been."  
  
_Not to you, not this time, and only because I can see how shitty that was for me to have done the first time._  
  
"Gabe?"  
  
Something in the griffin's tone was off enough that Gabriel opened his eyes. "What?"  
  
"Uh..."  
  
Shadow tendrils, thick ones, were wrapped gently around the griffin like boneless arms. A thought from Gabriel, and one of them reached up to envelop a chunk of Jack's hair and tug gently. Jack's eyes slipped momentarily shut, and the Mantle grinned.  
  
"You like that, Jack?"  
  
"Mmm. I'll believe the Reaper likes me. Also, whatever you're feeling guilty enough about that the Reaper hugged me, you promised you'd tell me later so that's good enough for me. Now," he teased, "are you going to say hi to Ana, or are you going to be rude?"  
  
_Good job,_ Gabriel thought at the Reaper as he dismissed the tendrils. "Let's go say hi."


	6. It's The End Of The World...Or The Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel can't wait for the big day. Sure, he's terrified of things going badly, but he's been through the last four months twice now and he's anxious to get on with the rest of his life. Assuming he still has one when all is said and done.

* * *

Crud, still Chapter 45

* * *

 

Jesse and Hanzo had moved out already, but Gabriel and Jack had a lovely afternoon tea with Ana and Reinhardt. Turns out the newlyweds were going to be visiting the Shambali monastery, something Gabriel was relieved to hear, and they would be joining them so that they could all travel to the mediation site together along with Mondatta's delegation. Gabriel promised he and Jack would come visit and catch up on the 21st, four days before the mediation, and they said their good-byes and went back to the mansion.  
  
They had about two weeks before the big day. It was time to make sure everything was in place for the new plan.  
  
Angela took his and Jack's measurements to have suits made. Jack and Gabriel spent a comfortable day in his hoard, the Mantle using shadow tendrils to pull weeds while the griffin sorted through the mound of weaponry for sidearms and ammunition they could hide in their tailored suits. With luck, neither of them would have to fire a single shot, but Gabriel wasn't taking any chances. Jack was a potential target, and he wanted his mate to have a solid ranged option so he didn't have to get close to Liao if things went wrong.  
  
Gabriel told Torbjörn that he wanted Amélie to have the best sniper rifle ever constructed. It only took one dark comment about how he might need her to shoot Mondatta to get the dwarf on board. Angela asked him if he wanted to practice his death and resurrection, but he declined on the grounds that if it _didn't_ work, they'd have lost their opportunity. In reality, he was afraid that if he remembered snapping his own neck, he wouldn't have the balls to do it a second time. Remembering the near-fighting Liao and Ana had gotten into, and the word 'traitor' being thrown around, Gabriel suggested Angela be kept out of sight, another ace up his sleeve along with Amélie. The harpy approved of that foresight; any confrontations could happen after the immediate threat had passed.  
  
The first time he teleported Amélie to the canyon that housed Ashton's domain was nerve-wracking for both of them. He had to keep the image of the harpy blowing Liao's brains out in the front of his mind, reminding the Reaper that she had a very important part to play, before the entity would calm down. They scouted a sniper's nest, Gabriel repressed shivers at the remarkably vivid future memories of things that had happened outside those huge doors, and then they went back.  
  
He brought Jack and Angela there so she could scout a perch for herself and get a feel for the trees and currents, and together they picked out a good place for Gabriel to stand when he killed himself. Over the course of the afternoon they ran a handful of drills so the other two could get used to the rhythm of Jack running through pine needles to scoop up Gabriel's limp body and Angela diving down to intercept him and begin the process of resurrection.  
  
Sombra and Torbjörn had only rarely been present for meals, but in the last week or two they'd been showing up more frequently. Again, Gabriel got the sense that Sombra was more involved in ...something... than she let on. He wasn't sure if he was relieved or on edge the morning that the dwarf voiced his intent to come to the mediation, and the technomancer volunteered to stay behind and watch the golems.  
  
The days passed way too quickly, as far as Gabriel was concerned. He had trouble sleeping, his thoughts running in circles going over the plan and making sure he'd made all the preparations, imagining the way it would play out and the things he'd say. Jack took to sleeping as a griffin, physically holding his mate to his feathered chest and disrupting the anxious thoughts by purring.  
  
Although he didn't dream (and was exceedingly grateful for that fact), he did have experiences similar to sleep paralysis where he was _almost_ awake in his slumbering body, and primal fragments of thought and emotion flickered through his dark mind like deep-ocean fish. The figure made of blood with piercingly long fingernails could only be Liao, and Mondatta was probably the dark one, featureless except for nine glowing eyes. He didn't have to guess at the pale shape with wings and a mane; that was clearly Jack. Gabriel himself was a vague brown shape. He had no idea what the other things were.  
  
He wondered if Amélie had ever experienced this.

 

* * *

  
  
Four days before the mediation, he and Jack teleported to Nepal.  
  
They appeared just outside the huge, orangey buildings and Gabriel shivered with the weight of repetition. Things were better this time, _he_ was doing better. He had to be on track to the good future, right? Still, the third future nagged at him along with the chilling reminder that his future memories ended in Ashton's domain. He'd been living with them for four months, guided and reassured by them, and the thought of not knowing the future was especially sobering.  
  
Then a snowball smacked him dead in the face.  
  
His Sight snapped open and he gestured, two tendrils of shadow forming snowballs and hurling them at the only non-Jack life force close by, a vampire-  
  
He heard Genji shout as he cleared the snow out of his eyes and closed his Sight again.  
  
"Nice shot, Reaper-san," Genji called cheerfully, standing up from the snowbank he'd been hiding behind. He looked cheerful and...satisfied.  
  
"Thanks," he called back absently, noticing that Jack was rubbing snow off his palms. "Were you going to defend me, Jack?"  
  
The griffin colored slightly. "I'm your mate."  
  
Well, couldn't argue with that.  
  
"Why were you out here by yourself?" he asked Genji.  
  
"Zenyatta said you'd be arriving," the vampire chirped. "I'm to take you to him, and Jack to Ana and the others."  
  
That was...convenient. And suspicious. Gabriel kept his thoughts to himself and gestured to the building. "Lead the way."

 

* * *

  
  
"It has been some time, Reaper," Zenyatta said mildly as they took seats on a fancy rug in front of a fireplace. "I trust you have been well?"  
  
"Can't complain," Gabriel answered warily.  
  
The djinn smiled. "There is no cause for concern. I have not been idle since our last discussion - many times I have cast my sight upon your mate, seeking the ways the mediation could go."  
  
Gabriel froze.  
  
"You play a dangerous game." The words weren't warning or threatening. If anything, they were...admiring. "I have seen the precautions you have taken. Genji and I will be accompanying Mondatta in four days, and I have already cautioned him that the fate of two races rests on keeping unnecessary players off the board."  
  
The breath he'd been holding came out in a sigh. "Thank you. I know the two of you stayed out of it the first time, but things had been...more turbulent." Gabriel winced, remembering the yelling. Then he remembered Ojal, telekinetically scooping up spheres of earth. "Uh. I wouldn't ask you to kill, but is there anything nonlethal you could do to incapacitate someone if need be?"  
  
Zenyatta regarded him calmly with all nine eyes. "Yes," he said in a tone that suggested he knew _exactly_ what Gabriel was asking, and why.  
  
Gabriel relaxed a little more. "Thanks. I owe you."  
  
"You are determining the future of my race," the djinn pointed out in a mild voice. "If my actions can influence you to see our side more favorably, then I am not above aiding you in any way I can."  
  
"Can't argue with that," he muttered. "Uh. If you've been...looking...do you think Mondatta...?"  
  
"I believe he does, and he considers the risk well worth taking."  
  
_That_ was more reassuring than Gabriel had expected it to be. "In any case, thanks anyway and I hope for all our sakes that everything goes smoothly."  
  
"So do I, Reaper," Zenyatta sighed. "So do I."

 

* * *

  
  
Genji was waiting to take him to the suite Ana and Reinhardt were occupying, and Gabriel braced himself for the incredibly personal and uncomfortable conversation he remembered, but the vampire was cheerfully silent. Apparently he'd learned manners after all.  
  
Ana was delighted to see him, Jack was having a friendly arm-wrestling contest with the half-giant, and Hanzo must have gotten over whatever vampire flu he'd had because he and Jesse were cuddling on a couch. Genji dragged a chair closer to the one Ana had been using and perched on the arm of the couch.  
  
"Jack's told us a bit already." Ana gestured for Gabriel to sit as she resumed her seat. "But he said you had something important to share...?"  
  
Gabriel took a deep breath. "Yeah. Jesse, Hanzo, you know what I smell like. What the _Reaper_ smells like. When you get there, there's gonna be a woman who also smells like the Reaper. _Don't_ pick a fight. There's a chance things will get...messy. Please, please, please - if you trust me at all, _follow Jack's orders._ She's way more dangerous than you can imagine, and I don't want any of you getting hurt or even killed." He took a moment to catch and hold each of their eyes until they nodded. "No matter what happens. No matter how angry you are. _Do not_ get near her for your own safety."  
  
"Ominous," Hanzo murmured. "However, you are the Reaper and we will be your guests. We will bow to your will."  
  
"What he said," Jesse added.  
  
Genji nodded. "I give my word as well."  
  
Reinhardt was still struggling with Jack. "I am sure you are overestimating the danger," he declared, "but I will let you have all the glory just this once."  
  
Ana smiled at Gabriel, the skin around her eye crinkling. "I will make sure he stays put," she assured him.  
  
"Thank you, all of you." Gabriel swept them all with a grateful look. "You have no idea how relieved that makes me."

 

* * *

Wait that was Chapter 46

* * *

 

The day of the mediation dawned with Jack's purr, his lion nose prodding the back of Gabriel's neck and his tongue scraping Gabriel's cheek.  
  
"Mrph."  
  
"Rah."  
  
Gabriel reached blindly up to scratch at Jack's chin. "Love you too."  
  
Without letting go, the griffin shrank until Jack was kissing Gabriel's fingertips. "Big day today. How do you feel?"  
  
"Fucking terrified."  
  
Jack chuckled. "I know the feeling. You'll do fine, love. I've got your back."  
  
"I know you do, but there's still so much that could go wrong..."  
  
"No plan survives first contact with the enemy," Jack quoted. "What matters is how quickly the leader is able to adapt, and we've planned for the most likely outcomes."  
  
Gabriel sighed. "I know. It's not very reassuring."  
  
"Think you can eat?"  
  
"Think I should try."  
  
"Okay. Breakfast first, and then we see how good you look cleaned up."  
  
He was going to see Jack in a suit. If he died, he would have at least accomplished that. The anticipation was enough to make Gabriel pry himself out of bed and trade worn pajamas for broken-in jeans and a faded tee.  
  
When they got to the dining room, Torbjörn was in his tiny tweed suit having black coffee and porridge with fruit. Amélie was staring into a cup of coffee with her hair back in a French braid, wearing some kind of harpy ninja suit. Angela had her hair knotted into a severe bun and was wearing an outfit nearly identical to Amélie's except that it was red. So the blood didn't show, Gabriel supposed, but he wasn't sure why it wasn't just black. Sombra was...not there, and a tiny frisson of foreboding ran down Gabriel's spine.  
  
He'd been alternating between avoiding and bracing himself for this moment, and now that it had arrived, he felt the liquid steel of the Reaper fill him. Silently, as he walked past his usual seat and sat in the Reaper's thronelike one, he thanked the entity for its vote of confidence. The damned thing did that little hum, the chandelier flared a bright, approving yellow, and all the golems filed in to kneel as though swearing fealty.  
  
Maybe they were.  
  
"I don't know that any Mantle has ever been in this position before," he said slowly, noting that Jack was sitting to his right and that Angela had taken the seat across from him. "Facing the origins of the Reaper. Gambling the fates of two races. But we've planned as best we could, taken every precaution we could think of, and if everything goes right then I look forward to many more years of working with you. To meeting your wife and kids," he said with a nod at the dwarf, "to helping you find your places in the world again," to the harpies, and to Jack, "to the looks on your family's faces when they realize what I am, and growing old at your side." He paused to take a steadying breath because _damn it_ , he wasn't going to cry. "And if things go wrong...then I'm grateful for the time we've had together and the support you've all given me."  
  
Damn it, do _not_ think of Jack crying over your dead body, Gabriel! You are the goddamn Mantle, _do not fucking cry_.  
  
"But I have faith in all of you," he continued, pleased that his voice was still strong and steady. "I have faith that we're doing the right thing, that we are on the right path, and that everything will work out okay. So...thanks for all you've done, all you've given up and endured to get me to this point, and I hope I live up to all the faith and trust you've put in me."  
  
Angela wiped a tear away; Amélie nodded grimly while Jack cleared his throat and blinked a few times.  
  
"Well said," Torbjörn said gruffly.  
  
The golems filed out, except for the one who usually took food orders. That one chirped.  
  
"No, no coffee," he told it. "Uh. Get me a toasted everything bagel with cream cheese, some fresh fruit, and a glass of apple juice."  
  
The golem collected other orders and vanished. Jack reached over and took Gabriel's hand, and they sat in silence until their food arrived. The griffin was doing the oatmeal-with-blueberries thing that always made Gabriel wonder where a creature made of two carnivores got off eating grains, but with a side of what looked like baked ham. They ate in silence, the meal seeming to take forever and no time at all. The shower in the Reaper's bathroom was big enough for two, and they took advantage of it to not only scrub each other clean but just _touch_ , a tactile reassurance that Gabriel had _not_ appreciated at all until the griffin had come into his life. When they finally emerged, clean and dry, they found that Angela had taken advantage of the door being propped open to lay out their suits.  
  
"This is proof that I love you," Jack joked as they admired them. Then he fetched their firearms and holsters while Gabriel picked out underwear and dress socks.  
  
It was sobering, putting on clothes for what could be the last time. He and Jack dressed each other, buttoning buttons and tightening straps, straightening lapels and adjusting ties. His was red, to match his eyes. Jack's was a blue that matched his. The clothes fit perfectly, even the shoes, but it wasn't until he had the Glock Jack had given him in his shoulder holster - the suit was tailored to hide the bulge - that he felt comfortable in them.  
  
"You look good," Jack said quietly.  
  
He did, he had to admit that. Fresh shave, trimmed facial hair, tailored suit. He looked like he was going to fuck somebody's shit _up_. Jack looked like he was going to a wedding, though, and it made Gabriel feel weak in the knees.  
  
Suddenly, he remembered the first future and waiting four years to pop the question seemed like _way_ too long.  
  
"Jack?" Fuck, was that a tremor in his voice? Shit. "If we survive, will you marry me?"  
  
The griffin stared at him in shock, mouth wide open, before swooping in to kiss Gabriel fiercely. "Yes," he murmured into his mate's mouth. "Oh god, Gabe, _yes_."  
  
It took everything Gabriel had to not break into tears. Still, it felt like forever before he was stable enough to stand on his own and speak again.  
  
"Alright. Let's go meet the others and get this show on the road."  
  
The Reaper seemed to be as jittery-anxious to get things over with as Gabriel was, because that liquid strength filled him and he wrapped tendrils around both harpies before teleporting to the canyon. Amélie took both of her sniper rifles - the new one Torbjörn had crafted her and the one it had replaced, just in case - and flew up to her sniper's roost. Angela made sure her pack of first aid supplies and assorted other helpful gear was secure before following. She'd drop the pack off with Amélie before heading towards her own perch to wait. Gabriel opened his Sight, but they were the only three intelligent beings in the area. He teleported back.  
  
Tendrils wrapped around dwarf and griffin, he teleported to the canyon and strode towards the huge double doors with a confidence he did not feel.

 

* * *

Chapter 47

* * *

 

Ashton met them at the doors, apparently having slipped out between teleporting trips. He still looked like the nerdy, albino cousin of that goat dude the kid met in _The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe_ and his suit was still flawless. Jack and Torbjörn knelt, but Gabriel stood without flinching and looked the god in the eyes.  
  
The god looked back and smiled in a way that made Gabriel think he _knew_ something. "Reaper. You are familiar with the way this goes, are you not?"  
  
Yeah. He knew.  
  
"As much as I can be," he answered. "You're Ashton, lord of this region. Minor god of intelligence."  
  
The faun smiled, a little _we both know a secret_ smile. "The title is too vague for me, so my preference is _god of mathematics,_ but that tends to bore visitors."  
  
Gabriel nodded. "I trust I don't need to do introductions."  
  
Again, that little smile. "No. I was glad to volunteer my home for your purpose...it's in my interests to preserve intelligence, as I'm sure you're aware."  
  
"I'll try not to enable any genocides," Gabriel deadpanned.  
  
Ashton gave him a small nod and turned to push the massive doors open as if they weighed nothing. Silently, they followed him in and Gabriel gave the place a cursory once-over before looking to the foot of the staircase where everyone he expected to see was clustered, although not quite as they had been. The three members of the Shabali delegation were sitting on one side of the staircase, to all appearances meditating calmly. On the other side of the staircase, Liao seemed to be trying to pick a fight with Ana, Reinhardt, or both while Mei, Zarya, Lena, and Fareeha tried to pretend they saw and heard nothing. Jesse and Hanzo were loudly having an obviously-fake argument about classic Westerns compared to Kurosawa's films, attempting to drown out Liao's furious insistence that they couldn't be there unless all parties agreed, and she did _not_ agree.  
  
"Oh no, not again," the faun sighed. "I take my eyes off of them for a moment..." He walked up to the three parties and tapped one hoof against the floor. "The Reaper has arrived," he announced.  
  
"Traitor," Liao hissed at Torbjörn, who did not react. Then she glanced at Gabriel and seemed to see something in his face because she began taking deep breaths as though trying to calm down.  
  
She was still, he noticed, wearing the outfit that couldn't decide if it was going for glamour or practicality in the event of a fight. Take-over-the-world chic, he guessed.  
  
"Alright," Gabriel said in a no-nonsense Cop Voice. "I'm very pleased to see you all here so we can get started right away. I'm sure some of you would like to do some catching-up, but it can wait until after."  
  
Liao shot a venomous look at Mondatta as he, Zenyatta, and Genji all climbed gracefully to their feet. There was that straining Gabriel's future memories had shown him; she wanted to throw herself bodily at the djinn and rip them to shreds with her bare hands, he was sure. The Reaper eddied anxiously inside him, making his fingers twitch with the urge to turn into shadow-scythes.  
  
"I prepared a room for all of us to assemble in," Ashton offered in his soft, musical voice. "Seventeen people, correct?"  
  
Gabriel did a quick headcount and swallowed fear that their aces might have just been given away. "Fifteen. And you."  
  
The god's eyes widened just a bit. "Of course. I must have miscounted in all the...excitement." He made a two-fingered gesture for everyone to follow him. "I'll lead the way."  
  
Liao shot a glare at everyone else before striding after the faun, the first one to move. The other four in the Overwatch delegation hurried after her. Gabriel looked at Ana and her group, jerked his head, and strode after the others. The Shambali would take up the rear, no doubt. The room was as he expected it to be, and without hesitating he went to the large chair on the opposite end of the huge stone table, waiting until the god had seated himself before sitting. Jack sat to his right, with Hanzo and Jesse to the griffin's right. Ana took the seat on his left, with Reinhardt and then Torbjörn to her left. Mondatta sat where Ashton indicated, Zenyatta at his side and Genji on Zenyatta's other side. Liao sat across from the djinn leader, scowling. Mei and Lena flanked her, with Zarya and Fareeha flanking them. The doors closed and minotaurs stood guard, while Ashton had acquired a small and fluffy dog at some point. Uniformed fauns scurried around making sure everyone had a glass of water before retreating to the corners of the room.  
  
"This may be the first Reaper hearing for some of you," the faun announced once everyone had settled. "It is not my first. Tradition is for the injured party to describe what the problem is. The sides will present their cases as to why they have acted the way they did, and debate _civilly_. There will be an intermission. Then you may announce your decision, Reaper."  
  
Gabriel nodded and gestured to Mondatta, who stood.  
  
Ashton cleared his throat before the djinn could open his mouth. "Before we begin - I won't tolerate violence in my home. These halls are hallowed, dedicated to peace and the pursuit of intelligence. Any offenders are going to be punished." He leaned back in his seat and gestured for Mondatta to proceed.  
  
The djinn kept it short, explaining in his smooth and authoritative voice that djinn were dying too quickly, that they had made a request of Overwatch and been denied without explanation. He requested assistance, or at the very least, a reason why they were being denied.  
  
Liao looked ready to verbally pounce, but Gabriel held one hand up.  
  
"Yes, Reaper?" the faun said, eyebrows arched in surprise.  
  
"The leaders of Overwatch and the djinn have personal history that clouds the issue. He's the Prophet that started the Construct War by slaughtering the majority of an entire village, and she's a survivor of that village who allowed herself to be turned into a weapon and became immortal when that weapon - the Reaper - was ripped out of her, ending the Construct War." Liao and Mondatta were both glaring daggers at him and each other, but he kept his eyes on Ashton. "Permission to speak to them privately outside while the rest of their delegations discuss the situation here."  
  
_What are you doing, Reaper?_ The faun's red eyes seemed to ask. But all he said was, "Granted. You may have ten minutes to privately converse." He snapped his fingers, and an hourglass appeared, floating in the air.  
  
Gabriel stood up, gave Liao and Mondatta challenging looks, and walked out of the room. The minotaurs opened the doors for him, and chairs scraping indicated that he was being followed. He didn't slow down or look back as he led them through the main hall and outside. Jack would be following in a minute - he had no idea what the griffin would say to get out of the room, but he had faith in his mate. Swallowing sudden terror, he stalked through the huge doors and counted his steps until he stopped at the place they'd worked out and stopped, arms crossed.  
  
Warily, Liao and Mondatta circled around until they were forming the other two corners of a triangle with him.  
  
"Liao," Gabriel said calmly, "you're first."  
  
"You want us to _help_ you monsters, when you're starting a second slaughter?" she spat.  
  
Mondatta bristled. "I had nothing to do with the situation in Russia! I didn't even _know_ about it until the Reaper told me!"  
  
"I don't believe that for a second," Liao snarled. "You're the djinn authority, why wouldn't you know? Did you think we wouldn't find out that you're trying to kill us _again?_ "  
  
"You're caught in the past," he shot back. "Might I remind you of the countless atronachs, djinn, and golems you slaughtered with your own two hands?"  
  
"ENOUGH!"  
  
Both leaders stopped to stare at Gabriel.  
  
"Jesus Christ, you two are both thousands of years old, and you're bickering like a pair of fucking _children,_ " the Mantle snapped. "You both want me to take your side and say the other's wrong. Newsflash: that's not going to happen. You both _also_ want to kill me and take the Reaper."  
  
He gave them a moment to deny it, but neither of them did.  
  
"Newsflash," he said again, arms turning to whips of shadow while tendrils held them both immobile. " _That's_ not going to happen either."  
  
Liao was halfway through sneering 'you can't kill me' when the whips wrapped around Gabriel's head and turned with a sudden sharp _crack_.  
  
The world went dark.

 

* * *

Chapter ~~48~~ 49-50? Whatever, it's the end

* * *

 

Gabriel woke up coughing - which was a relief, actually, because it meant he wasn't dead.  
  
"Easy," Angela murmured, which was another relief.  
  
The spasm in his lungs eased, and Gabriel drew in a smooth, deep breath. He held it a moment, then opened his eyes as he let it out in a sigh. The white-feathered harpy smiled down at him.  
  
"Time?" he croaked.  
  
"Three minutes since you walked out the door," she said. "Jack is watching the action. Mondatta noticed me, I think, but Liao did not. Neither of them noticed Jack."  
  
Gabriel struggled to his feet, trying to ignore the pins and needles sensation fading throughout his entire body. It was better than he'd felt the first time, but he also hadn't been dead as long or with as much damage. "Sitrep," he rasped.  
  
"You have to see it to believe it," the griffin answered, crouched by the giant doors and peering out through the one that was ajar. "Mondatta waited for Liao to take the Reaper, then he clobbered her with a big scoop of dirt and did...something? I don't know, I was hauling you back inside, but now..."  
  
Mondatta and Liao were chasing a frantic black cloud. She tugged his robes and tripped him; he flung scoops of earth at her to knock her down. As Gabriel watched, Liao hurled herself bodily into the djinn, causing them both to crash to the ground. Pine needles and dirt clung to them in testament to their physical squabble while the Reaper did its best to avoid them both.  
  
"Fucking children," Gabriel muttered.  
  
He stepped through the doors before bringing both hands to his mouth and whistling sharply. The sound echoed through the canyon, causing all three entities to freeze. The Reaper recovered first, shooting towards him without regard to how close it was to the others; Mondatta made a desperate lunge for it, but something flashed as Liao lunged for _him,_ and his fingers fell short.  
  
The black cloud filled Gabriel's sight and then dived into his mouth, unnatural coldness filling his lungs, his fingers, every bit of his body while his eyes rolled back and his knees gave out. As though from a great distance, he heard someone say Mondatta was down and a demand for someone else to drop "it", but there was a rushing in his ears and he collapsed into smoke for an endless moment until suddenly, everything felt _right_ again and he re-formed to find Angela staring at him, worry and relief in her eyes.  
  
"Don't make a move," Jack snarled, his sidearm out and aimed at...Liao, who glared at him with both hands up.  
  
A combat knife glittered at her feet, the tip stained red, and Gabriel remembered the flash. "Angela," he snapped, "get Mondatta."  
  
She darted past them all to skid to her knees by the djinn leader, whose robes were developing a distressingly large crimson stain.  
  
"You stabbed him," Gabriel said calmly. She lifted her chin slightly, not denying it but daring him to imply that she should feel shame. "I should have brought cuffs, but I honestly didn't think it would go this smoothly. Maybe Mei has some." He grabbed her wrists with tendrils of shadow and bound them behind her back while Jack continued to cover her. The pocket of his suit jacket turned out to have a handkerchief in it; Gabriel used it to pick up the knife.  
  
Mondatta groaned, and Angela called out, "He's okay!"  
  
"Good work," Gabriel told her. The djinn glared at him. He glared back. "Are you going to do something dumb, or are you going to behave?"  
  
"I make no apologies for my actions," he answered stiffly.  
  
"I didn't fucking ask if you were sorry, I asked if you were going to be dumb and attack me."  
  
Mondatta looked away. "No. You have won."  
  
"Good, then get your ass back inside and take your fucking seat."  
  
The shadow tendrils frogmarched Liao past everyone and inside. Jack followed, gun still trained on her, and Angela gave Gabriel a questioning look before following the griffin. Mondatta swept regally past, and the Mantle took the rear. What had been a quiet babble in the meeting room turned to stocked silence as the little procession filed back inside.  
  
"I have a few announcements, before we get started again," Gabriel said, walking around to his seat and laying the knife-laden handkerchief on the table. "First, yes, that is Angela. I understand some of you might not be happy to see her. Please hold your comments until the end because second, she healed Mondatta from..." Gabriel trailed off, glancing at the harpy.  
  
"It would have been fatal," she said quietly.  
  
"Thank you. Third, _Liao stabbed Mondatta_. Overwatch delegation, I strongly recommend you pick a new leader if you don't want me to rule against you because I do _not_ trust her to aid the djinn." He took a deep breath, let it out, and sat. "Okay. Our outside discussion has been concluded. What did I miss?"  
  
The other four Overwatch delegation members exchanged a look, and Lena raised one hand. "We did some talking," she said. "In light of recent revelations, we have accepted Fareeha back into Overwatch and promoted her to Strike-Commander."  
  
Ana looked ready to burst with pride. Liao looked ready to spit fire as the shadow tendrils forced her to her feet, and stalked down to sit three seats away from Ashton while Fareeha took the larger seat.  
  
"We have decided to trust that the djinn leader truly repents his past deeds," Fareeha announced, smiling slightly at Mondatta's shocked gratitude. "However, the price for Overwatch's assistance is the Shambali's assistance in resolving the situation in Russia."  
  
Mondatta looked down at his dirty, bloodstained robes, glanced at the Mantle, and turned to Fareeha. "Since the Reaper made me aware of the situation, I have looked into it to the best of my ability. I would be delighted to share with you what I have found, and I am grateful for the opportunity to assist in preventing the loss of life."  
  
"Good," Gabriel declared, using one whip-arm to pass the wrapped dagger to Fareeha. "I don't know what sort of criminal procedures you have, but that's the weapon Liao used to try to try to kill Mondatta. My decision on this case is postponed for four months. I will keep in touch with both parties, and if either party is failing to uphold their end, then at the end of those four months I will rule against that party."  
  
A lot of glances flew around the table.  
  
"Overwatch agrees to this decision," Fareeha announced.  
  
"The Shambali agree as well," Mondatta said calmly. "Although there is still the question of what is to be done with the Reaper."  
  
An entire conversation lay in those mild words, and Gabriel felt the Reaper stir in anger.  
  
Fuck it.  
  
"Okay, you know what?" He glowered impartially at everyone. "We're at the end anyway."  
  
Ashton cleared his throat. "The end of _what_ , Reaper?"  
  
Gabriel took a deep breath. "The end of the future-memories the Iris granted me when I woke up on that cliff back in December. You’ve all wondered how I've been able to adjust so well, why I wasn't freaking out harder? It's because I woke up with the memories of _having already lived through this_. All of it, from waking up on the cliff and not knowing what the fuck was going on to...this meeting," he finished awkwardly. "It helped a lot. I did a lot less freaking out because I already knew what to expect - like your midnight nudist hello," he said with a pointed look at Jesse, who flushed slightly. "I avoided a lot of mistakes. Angela, I'm sorry I shot you even though I didn't. Jack, I'm _really_ sorry I shot you, even though I didn't."  
  
"I forgive you," Jack murmured, leaning over to lay a light kiss on his mate's cheek. "So...when you proposed this morning..."  
  
Half the table erupted into enthusiastic shouting. It took a handful of minutes before the noise died down, by which point both Jack and Gabriel were thoroughly red.  
  
"ANYWAY," the Mantle said loudly, "I did some thinking about why, exactly, the Iris would have given me a heads-up about how things would go, and you, Mondatta, gave me the clue I needed."  
  
All nine of the djinn's eyes blinked. "Me?"  
  
"Yup. You said the Iris swore she would _remove the danger of the Reaper_ if you gave up your reincarnation and picked the first host." He smirked. "Not destroy the Reaper. Not end the threat. _Remove the danger_. Make it safe. You want to take the Reaper so that when you die, you can present it to your goddess as an offering in hopes that she'll be pleased enough to relent and let you reincarnate. I have memories of you threatening to rip the Reaper out of my still-warm body if I sided with Overwatch."  
  
The djinn colored slightly, his eyes firmly fixed on Gabriel's as if he could ignore the slightly distrustful and unhappy looks he was getting from three different groups.  
  
"Funny thing about the Reaper," Gabriel said lightly, playing with a tendril of shadow. "Did you know it hates Mantles who take the position with intent to use it for personal gain or revenge? It started out as Liao's magic, but over the centuries it's grown into an entity with its own opinions and morals. Congrats, Liao, you taught the Reaper ethics by being a _what not to do_ example."  
  
There were a few snickers. The former Mantle seethed.  
  
"Is there a point to this?" Mondatta asked coldly.  
  
All the warm amusement vanished from Gabriel, leaving him just as cold. "Yes. _You_ are responsible for the Reaper's creation. It was born from the hatred and pain your actions caused, and instead of trying to _fix_ what you broke, you put all the blame on Liao and tried to sweep the Reaper under the rug. You're a shit father, Mondatta, and I don't think the Iris _liked_ your idea to just kill off the life you helped create. Did you know it has nightmares about you? It hates you. It's afraid of Liao. I had to spend _weeks_ talking it through the plan, reassuring it that Liao _had_ to take it back, but that I would make sure she didn't keep it."  
  
"Wait," Mei piped up. "What do you mean, _take it back?_ "  
  
Gabriel buried his face in both of his hands and cursed under his breath.  
  
Jack reached out and hugged his mate. "The plan," he said evenly, "was for Gabriel to kill himself so that Liao could take the Reaper back, making her no longer immortal. We hoped Mondatta would rip it out of her, but if he didn't...well...we were prepared to shoot."  
  
"If a freshly-dead body has died in a specific way," Angela said, not meeting anyone's eyes, "I can heal it well enough for it to come back to life."  
  
"So you..." Zarya paused. "You killed yourself, and Liao took the Reaper back, but then the djinn ripped it back out and then...?" Raised eyebrows invited someone to continue the explanation.  
  
"And then they chased each other around like a pair of fucking children trying to get it while it ran away from both of them," Gabriel said shortly. "When I woke up, I whistled and it came running back to me. Go figure it wanted to be with the person who didn't treat it like an object or a weapon or a prize, and who actually _explains_ things to it. So yeah, I think the _danger_ of the Reaper has been pretty well removed and I'll be _keeping_ custody of the Reaper, thanks. Any _other_ questions?"  
  
To everyone's surprise, Zenyatta raised a hand. "Have you chosen a date for your wedding?" he asked, as if none of the recent revelations were of any importance at all.  
  
"Uh...I have not. We still need rings, and - fuck, I just asked him this morning..." He took a breath, knowing he was blushing but unable to do anything about it. "We'll...keep everyone posted, okay?"  
  
Again, Zenyatta raised his hand. "What was the outcome of this meeting in the memories you were given?"  
  
"Shit. Uh..." Gabriel grimaced. "Okay. I blew my brains out when I realized Liao was a crazy fuck who couldn't be talked down, and she took the Reaper back. Jack almost got a wing ripped off. Zarya's leg got broken. Mei's yeti form had an arm ripped off. She broke Jesse's spine, choked Reinhardt out, slammed you against the wall and almost killed you," he told Lena. "Pulled Fareeha out of the sky and slammed her into the ground, almost killed _her_. Broke Jack's ribs, then Hanzo distracted her for a while by seducing her while Angela resurrected me. Once I got back out, Amélie broke her spine with a sniper rifle-"  
  
Confused and angry shouting. Gabriel glared until it quieted down again.  
  
"-Amélie broke her spine with a sniper rifle, and I killed her with-"  
  
Ashton laid a very familiar piece of twisted metal, four inches long and sharp on both ends, on the table.  
  
"...with that. A piece of the fiancé of the djinn who ended the Construct War by ripping the Reaper out of Liao with her dying breath."  
  
Genji frowned. "What about us?"  
  
"You, Zenyatta, and Mondatta stayed in this room for the entire fight," Gabriel said sympathetically. "I, obviously, can't tell you why. So, yeah, I know Amélie's not very welcome to the Overwatch people and I don't expect anyone to just forgive her, but if things had gone wrong I stationed her in a sniper's nest with two rifles and orders to shoot Liao and not stop until the Reaper came out. I wasn't going to let you all get hurt and almost killed again."  
  
"I want to speak to her," Ana said in a voice like velvet over iron.  
  
Angela shifted awkwardly. "Shall I fetch her?"  
  
Gabriel nodded, and the harpy left the room.  
  
"Oh, yeah." Gabriel looked at Mei. "Do you have any handcuffs? Any of you, really. I'd like to have Liao secured with something that's not just shadow tendrils."  
  
One of the minotaurs stepped forward and locked thick shackles around her wrists.  
  
Ashton cleared his throat once the minotaur stepped away. "Well. This has certainly been one of the more...hmm... _unorthodox_ Reaper hearings I've been to. You really weren't kidding when you said you wanted a _bloodless_ mediation."  
  
"Nope." Gabriel smirked a little.  
  
"But everything seems to have pretty much resolved, so...might I suggest we take that intermission? I have refreshments prepared..."  
  
General consensus on that idea was yes, and with much chattering everyone filed out to a banquet hall where a selection of fancy little sandwiches, vegetables, sparkling juice, and other healthy snacks had been set out. Gabriel lurked in the back with Jack, watching as Torbjörn and Reinhardt caught up, Ana fussed over her daughter, and Zarya cautiously engaged Zenyatta in conversation.  
  
"You did good," Jack murmured, his arms sliding around Gabriel from behind, lips tugging at his mate's hair. "Just one question."  
  
"Mm?" Gabriel asked eloquently, reveling in the fact that the griffin hadn't abandoned him after hearing that he was a sham.  
  
"Did you propose because you remembered proposing?"  
  
"Yes, but not the way you think. I was shown a glimpse of a few possible futures. In one of them, we were visiting Ana and Reinhardt, letting them know we got engaged, but we'd been dating for four years."  
  
Jack chuckled. "See? Now you know I love you, I waited four years for you to ask."  
  
Gabriel bit his lip briefly. "You're not...angry because I didn't tell you...?"  
  
"Gabe, you've told me several times that you're trying to be better. I know it's been rough for you. But you care enough to look at what your actions would have been and say, 'I can do better,' so why would I be angry?"  
  
Instead of answering, Gabriel turned in his mate's embrace and kissed him deeply. Jack's arms tightened as Gabriel's went around his waist, followed by thick shadow tendrils, and it was a minute before the kiss ended.  
  
With a happy sigh, Gabriel rested his head on Jack's shoulder. "God, I love you."  
  
Jack lipped at his hair. "I love you, too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Regarding Liao's fate...there's two possibilities. According to LegendaryBard, Liao can only be killed while she is the Mantle because as soon as the Reaper is removed from her, she becomes immortal again. But the clarification and explanations I got initially (combined with the fact that the Reaper didn't die along with Liao) made it seem like as soon as she got the Reaper back, she became mortal but the Reaper was no longer an integral part of her and therefore, she would remain mortal if it were removed again. Gabriel would have no way of knowing the magical physics of that, though, and there's a strong possibility that the Reaper entity grew and evolved enough over the centuries that it was, in fact, its own entity with only vestigial ties to Liao, so...consider her both mortal and immortal until something tries to kill her, and no one freaking knows which it's going to be, including her.


End file.
